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The goal promises to live long in memory. Control, strength, balance, explosion of rhythm and precise finishing to achieve the best result in Crawley Town’s 125-year history.
It was the opening of a stunning 3-0 win, a third-round classic to challenge a 62-place chasm in the league and humble Leeds United.
Still, Nick Tsaroulla’s tearful talks after the game hinted that it was more of a 21-year-old thrilled to score his first goal and relish the magic of the FA Cup.
It was a moment of personal triumph, intense relief and reward for his tireless spirit – with just a tiny bit of ‘Yours Tottenham’ sprinkled on top. It could also be a lesson for all young players when fate conspires against them.
Crawley Town’s Nick Tsaroulla scored a magnificent opener in his side’s 3-0 win over Leeds
Tsaroulla was 18 in July 2017 and had just left his home in Essex for the short drive to Spurs training when his Audi A1 collided with an oncoming vehicle, an Audi Q5 much larger.
“It wasn’t pretty,” he said, recalling the moment after Sunday’s victory. “They were in a Q5, so they were three times the size and my car was messy. The doctor said if I hadn’t worn my seat belt, I would certainly have died. I would have been dead.
“I wasn’t even going that fast. I was coming to a mini-roundabout so it couldn’t have been that quick. I was lucky enough to be saved by the seat belt, but it hurt my stomach. It just took time. But, unfortunately, with football clubs like Spurs, the weather is against you.
For 10 months, medical experts were baffled by the precise nature of the injury and the source of Tsaroulla’s pain.
Left-back Tsaroulla gave a tearful post-match interview discussing his return from injury
“They tried everything and nothing worked,” he said. “It was abdominal pain, neuropathic pain, and no one could understand it. For a year, I was completely out of football.
When he tried to get back on the pitch, there was another setback: cellulitis, a serious skin infection.
“I developed really bad blisters on my feet,” Tsaroulla said. “ A lot of it was with the nervous system because I developed a burning pain in my feet. I couldn’t put on soccer shoes or run.
‘The blister was infected and there was a big red line on my leg so I had to rush to the hospital. I was straight into antibiotics. If I had left it, it would have turned black and that’s bad.
“So I had to let the blisters heal. Then, the Spurs did not want to continue my contract. They didn’t want to give me another chance. It was a disappointing day.
The 21-year-old has been released from Tottenham after suffering several serious injuries in a car crash
It seemed unfair to be cut adrift in the summer of 2018 after such a traumatic 12 months, but the left-back used the manner of his rejection as a source of motivation.
“I don’t mean to speak badly about Spurs,” Tsaroulla said. “They did all they could, sent me to see all the doctors, but unfortunately they didn’t want to keep me.
“It gives me a lot of motivation, however, to prove them wrong. I’m not going to name the names of the coaches but they’re still in the back of my head.
“I just want to prove people wrong. They let me go. I never thought it was because of my abilities. It was just a weird situation and they didn’t want to pursue it.
“I already have enough fire in me, but they gave me a lot more – enough for the rest of my career. Sometimes they say it’s not good to hold on to things, but I like having it there, so on the days when you think you can’t be bothered you remember it and it’s , ‘Oh no, I can be disturbed’.
Crawley boss John Yems (center) orchestrated the victory over Marcelo Bielsa (right)
After his release from Spurs, Tsaroulla turned to the Isokinetic Rehab Center, a private sports medicine clinic.
“I wanted to do it right,” he says. “I wanted to have a straight stomach, a straight foot. I wanted to be strong when I returned to the trials.
“In about six months, they fixed me. They are amazing. They made me strong, no problem, run as fast as I’ve ever run, as fit as ever.
Tsaroulla signed a one-year contract with Brentford in May 2019, joined their B team and enjoyed working with Neil MacFarlane and Sam Saunders, until the season was cut short.
“I fell in love with football,” he said. “They taught me so much. I learned the masculine side and these two were absolutely awesome. There was simply no path to the first team, which is a shame. But that’s football.
For months, Tsaroulla trained alone in parks and gyms and read Relentless, by sportsmanship guru Tim Grover.
After impressing John Yems during his trial at Crawley in October, he signed a contract for the remainder of the season, with a one-year option, and then made his debut a month later.
“I immediately loved the manager and the environment,” said Tsaroulla. “From day one, I knew this was where I wanted to be. Luckily he (Yems) welcomed me and gave me the opportunity to score against Leeds so I’m very lucky to be here.
No wonder the emotion is too heavy to contain.
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