Threesy does it for Big Tom in rampant Crawley win
By Matt Johnson
Loanee Tom Eaves revelled in delight after a first career hat-trick propelled Town to a vital three points in a 3-0 demolition of Crawley.
The 21-year-old struck a brace in the recent 3-2 away victory over MK Dons, but this time the powerful striker went one better to seal a treble of breathtaking goals.
“It was a great day, it’s quite overwhelming and I’m just ecstatic,” said Eaves.
“It really sunk in after the third one and it’s really nice to get three points as well to be honest, especially at home after the sort of draws we’ve been getting. We were unlucky to not win at Carlisle and Crewe, so now it’s nice to get the points.”
At 2-0 up, Eaves had an opportunity to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot, but regular taker Matt Richards pulled rank to take the kick – a decision Eaves fully backs and understands on reflection.
“To be honest I was a bit disappointed not to take the penalty, but he’s the skipper and you’ve just got to listen to him and I got a goal after it anyway, so it was a nice feeling when it came.
“At the end of the day he’s got to do what’s best for the team, and if he was already taking them anyway then I can’t argue with that, we’ve just got to listen to what he and the manager says.
“Not taking it just drove me on more really and made me want to score even more. I knew there was ten minutes left on the clock and so I knew there was time to get another one, or even two goals.”
Eaves has settled well in his short time in Shropshire scoring six in eight games. Looking ahead to the trip to Yeovil, the Bolton man stressed his sights are still firmly set on Town and scoring the goals to preserve the Club’s League One status.
“I think that we shouldn’t take our foot off the pedal and we need to carry on pushing. We’ve got Yeovil on Saturday and we need to prepare right and if we win then we can start looking at safety, but as it stands now we’ve still got a bit more to do.
“I haven’t heard anything, but my priority is to win games here for Shrewsbury and it’s out of my hands whatever else happens.
“I owe full credit to all the staff and players here because they have made me feel really welcome and the fans as well make me feel comfortable here and it’s been really great.”
With just three home games remaining, secure your Bournemouth match tickets here for the meeting on Sat 13 April.