Debutant speaks after Portsmouth draw
Following his debut appearance in a red and white shirt, loanee striker Eliot Richards said that he felt his style of football was well-suited to the Grecians.
The 22-year-old Welshman formally moved to St James Park on Friday on a loan exchange and played the latter 45 minutes against Pompey, and is looking forward to contributing and developing over the coming months.
Richards has already scored twice at St James Park during his time with the Gas – including on the opening day of the current season, as the Grecians were ultimately 2-1 winners – and he is confident of getting his maiden goal for the Grecians very soon.
“I think my footballing style suits Exeter down to the ground,” said Eliot. “It’s about getting the ball on the ground and passing which is what I like to do, and hopefully score some goals.
“I’ve got a good record and I like coming down to play on this pitch as it’s normally really good. Unfortunately I didn’t get that goal today but hopefully I will get a few more towards the end of the season.”
It was Richards’ quick-thinking that sparked off the attack which earned the Grecians an equaliser in the dying seconds on Saturday. A swift throw-in from the left from the front-man saw City work an opening, which was rounded off through Liam Sercombe.
And even though he hasn’t had a lot of time with his new teammates, Eliot was pleased to be a part of a resolute team display that saw the Grecians fighting until the last.
“I had a call on Thursday and came down on Friday to train with the lads that morning – so I’ve not had a lot of time with the lads yet, but it’s been good,” he continued.
“We kept digging in the second half, and kept going and going. Getting a goal in the last 30 seconds makes it a lot nicer to go home with a draw rather than a loss.”
The loan from Rovers is initially until the end of the season, and while he is concentrating his efforts on doing well over the coming months, Richards admits that he is open-minded about the future beyond the summer.
He continued: “I’m just going to focus on the next three months – it’s only a loan until the end of the season, and hopefully if I do well and Exeter want to keep me on, they’ll be more than welcome.”
Click here to watch the full interview on Grecian Player.