Kwesi Appiah has stated that signing for Colchester United was the 'right move' for him after joining the U's on a season-long loan.
But the Ghana international has admitted it was a shock being declared as surplus to requirements by Crawley Town, as he was blatantly informed by new manager, Kevin Betsy that his services was no longer needed at the club and he's no longer in their plans.
The experienced forward who will wear the number 9 jersey at the U's, scored 12 times in 29 appearances for the Reds under John Yems, last season.
Appiah said: "I had a word with Crawley a few weeks ago, about my situation. I was on the lookout and then this came up about a week or so after that conversation.
"I spoke to the U's manager (Wayne Brown) and I spoke to (technical director) Steve Ball and we had a good conversation. It was the right move for me, so I'm happy to be here and I'm looking forward to it.
"There's a lot of things going on at Crawley. The club has had a takeover, the old manager has left, the new manager has come in, there are loads of new players and the targets for the season having really been realised so far but there's a long way to go and I'm sure they'll do what they need to do to turn it around.
"For me, not being a part of the group was a bit painful for me really, especially after a good season, last year. I'm looking forward to coming here and carrying on where I left off, last year and continue that momentum.
"I wasn't expecting to leave Crawley, you've got to respect them and do what's best for you and for your family. I want to play and if ever I'm in a situation where I'm told I'm probably not going to get the game time, it's important," said the former Crystal Palace and Reading forward.
"It's a short career and you have to make the most of it. That's one of the reasons why I'm not static in my career - I'll move around if I have to to get the game time and this is what's happened now. However, Crawley made it clear that I wasn't in their plans which was a shock for me.
"But to be here for the whole season, I need to re-focus myself and I'm looking forward to giving my all to Colchester."
By: Pascal Nii Gogo Amoah
