Thomas Verheydt feels like he is starting all over again at Crawley.
Now the big Dutch striker has targeted some FA Cup action as he builds fitness after a knee injury.
Verheydt suffered cartilage damage and some bone bruising in an innocuous incident during the early-season Checkatrade Trophy game at home to Charlton.
He was out for two months, just as he was trying to get a foothold in the English game after his summer move.
Reds used the midweek Parafix Senior Cup tie against Bognor as a chance to get him back in the thick of it.
An hour against the Rocks helped Verheydt prove his fitness and he would love to play a part at Wigan in the first round today.
He said: “I’ve trained a lot in the gym but not out on the pitch.
“I’m happy I started (on Tuesday). The knee is fine.
“I need to work for fitness but it feels good.”
Reds could badly do with someone to offer a regular supply of goals.
Verheydt netted against Portsmouth in pre-season and felt he was making progress before being laid low at the end of August.
He said: “The football here is a lot different.
“It’s hard at the beginning both getting to know how we want to play and how the opposing defenders play.”
Reds will kick-off as big outsiders against a Wigan team going well in the League One promotion places.
But Verheydt says he is relishing the challenge ahead.
He added: “The FA Cup is massive and everyone in Holland knows it.
“It’s a big game and we look forward to it.”
Reds have not gone past the first round since 2012-13, the season Wigan lifted the trophy at Wembley.
But boss Harry Kewell, a former FA Cup winner with Liverpool, has made sure preparations are spot-on.
His squad trained in the North West yesterday and fancy their chances of a result.
Kewell said: “Our away record is good and, while we know our concentration levels will have to be at their best for 90-plus minutes, we feel we can get a positive result.”
Wigan boss Paul Cook will not rotate his squad, despite the bigger target of promotion.
Cook said: “While we might change one or two there won’t be 10 or 11 changes as has been the case in other competitions.”
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