FORMER Morton and Rangers midfielder Robbie Crawford says he feels more suited to football in the United States as he moves into his third year playing across the pond.

The Greenock man has been plying his trade in America for the past two years, with a spell at Monterey Bay in California and two stints with his current employers Charleston Battery.

The 29-year-old featured for his home town club in a loan spell back in 2014 but has enjoyed the lifestyle change brought by his switch across the Atlantic.

He says it's been an 'eventful' learning curve on and off the park and is glad to be back at Charleston as he looks forward to becoming a father.

Crawford told the Tele: "I arrived the week the country went into lockdown, so 2020 was obviously memorable.

"Overall, it’s definitely been a positive experience on and off the pitch and I feel lucky to be in my third season over here.

"I feel like I’ve settled in well and the style here suits me.

"A lot of teams focus on playing out from the back and have a technical style of play which I like.

"Scotland is maybe a bit more aggressive and played at a higher intensity.

"I don’t think one is better than the other, they’re just different.

"I’s been great for me as a player to experience both as I’m always looking to continue to learn and improve."

Robbie swapped the west coast for the east this summer and has settled well back at his old club.

He said: "Returning to Charleston has been great and not something I was expecting.

"It came out of the blue for the most part but they knew my personal situation, with my wife being pregnant and based there.

"They were also not getting the results they were looking for, so for a lot of reasons it suited everyone involved for me to return.

"The club I moved back from were a brand new team in California, and they had some growing pains at the beginning.

"The results weren’t what we would have wanted but we always knew there was a lot of potential and quality.

"I’ve got nothing but great things to say about the club and people there and I feel the same way about Charleston Battery, so I feel really fortunate to have been involved with both sides."

The globetrotting midfielder has also played for outfits in other countries in Europe and admits he is not planning on coming back to Scotland at this stage of his career.

He said: "I couldn’t be happier where I am just now, so it is difficult to see me returning.

"But things can change quickly in football and I’m still motivated to make the most of my career and play at the highest level possible, so we’ll see what the future holds.

"I learned a lot and enjoyed my time in both Iceland and Finland.

"Being away from friends and family for the first time, learning new cultures and footballing philosophies and being outside the bubble of Scottish football were all great for me personally and as a player."

Born and raised in Greenock, Crawford says he still keeps an eye on his home town club's fortunes from afar.

He said: "Looking from the outside Dougie Imrie has done well at Cappielow and I think most Morton fans would agree with that.

"They are in a tight and challenging league but I think they’ve proven they’re capable of competing each week.

"It will be interesting to see how the season unfolds for Morton, I check their results every week and my dad often goes to games, so I will always hope that they do well."