"I was particularly eager to prove a point having sat out the last few games. It's been frustrating," said Crouch.
"You want to be in the team, so when you get a chance you've got to grab it with both hands.
"Hopefully I have done. It's been difficult because I felt I was playing well.
"The manager likes to chop and change and always said I'd play plenty of games, and he proved that by starting with me last night.
"It's hard to get your head around it when you're sitting on the bench, especially when you've not had it before. But we've a top, top manager who gets results playing this way, so you won't hear me complaining.
"Perhaps it's going to be even more of a challenge for me this season, but that keeps you hungry. When you haven't played a game it keeps you fresh and ready for the next one. It works, so you can't fault it.
"I'm still not sure I'll play on Saturday. Hopefully I've done enough, but we've a lot of good players here.
"You never know who's playing until the team is read out an hour before the game, so you just have to keep yourself ready and focused for when you will play. Even if you've missed four in a row, you still have to think you'll be playing in the next match."
