Shrewsbury Town – onetruekev

The Less I Know The Better

It’s getting to feel more and more like this every week. So the title this week is from the 2015 Tame Impala album “Currents”. Well, we are playing Shrewsbury, so it’s the closest I’m going to get to the Taming of the Shrew.

First up, quiz time answer – Walsall were one of the founder members of Division Two back in 1892, which other two sides in League Two this season were also founder members? And I gave a hint of we’ve played both of them already. The other two teams were Crewe Alexandra and Grimsby Town.

A week on from the impressive performance but ultimately disappointing draw at home against league leaders Walsall, we are in away action at Shrewsbury Town, the second away game on the trot against a team relegated with us from League One last season (third away game on the trot against teams we played in League One last season if you include the Vertu Trophy game at Leyton Orient). Someone was having fun with the scheduling as we play the other relegated side next week at home.

We have played Shrewsbury eight times in the league, winning two, drawing three, and losing three, of which the four away games have seen two losses, a draw, and a single win, in the final game of last season’s campaign. This is our first League Two encounter with them since our first season in the league. That game last season was one involving two teams for who relegation had already been confirmed. This game is one where both teams are desperately clambering to try and stay out of the relegation zone again.

We go into the game on the same point, and with the same goal difference, and we are only above them based on the fact we have scored one more goal than them so far. We are both one point above the bottom two, who in another quirk of the fixture list are also playing each other, so at least one of them are guaranteed points, a loss today will see us slip into the relegation places. It is a game both teams desperately need to win.

There is no current overlap with players on either side having played for both clubs, but in a link back to last week, Mat Sadler is one player who has played for both sides. Others to have played for both include Scott Shearer, Danny Hall, David Hunt, James Collins, Sullay Kaikai, Tyrone Barnett, Leon Clarke, and Junior Brown.

I had to dig quite deep to find a programme. And the only one I could find is the one from our first game against Shrewsbury back in this week in 2011 (which featured the aforementioned Tyrone Barnett, Scott Shearer, and David Hunt in the squad for us and James Collins in the squad for Shrewsbury).

Back then it wasn’t a case of two teams struggling in the bottom four; instead it was a top four battle.

How many people can find themselves on the page of squad sponsorship.

I’m still pissed off with Shrewsbury lying to me at the club shop on the final day last season when the queue was out the door and down the car park, and they told me programmes were available in the away end, only for there not to be, and I’ve still not been able to get a copy of one for that game.

But I did get a programme today, it’s not bad, more advert heavy than I’d like, but it has four pages on us, and two pages on players to play for both clubs including four of the ones I mentioned earlier.

And speaking of programmes, there was a meeting earlier in the week between a few fans with a view to getting a fan produced match programme up and running later in the season.

It’s back to the 1991-92 Proset for a Shrewsbury Town football card, their only player featured that season was Tom Lynch.

I am beginning to question my sanity in making these trips there and back in a day with over four hours each way, it was dark when I left home and got to Crawley station.

And of course it wouldn’t be a train journey in the UK without dodgy trains and connections. This is not what you want to see when at Euston, and then to get on a slightly later and slower train, it then has an announcement that lines are busy, extra stations are added, and it may run slower than advertised. Connection at the hell spot that is Birmingham New Street will be missed, so not sure what time anyone will be making it to Shrewsbury.

When I came to the game last year we stayed for the weekend and saw Goldie Lookin’ Chain on the Friday night. This time around it was decorating on Friday and train there and back in the same day. I know which one I preferred. It’s the fourth time in the last few years I’ve been to Shrewsbury, and we’ve stayed in the same place every time, and gone back and forth into the town centre, but despite passing it lots of times, I never stopped the car to get a picture of the column to General Rowland Hill, the second tallest Doric column in the world. And with the delays I thought it wasn’t going to happen this time either. But I scuttled there as quickly as my legs would carry me, only to find the bloody thing is under scaffolding. FFS.

But I was at the ground nice and early, I was pretty much the first person everywhere, in the club portacabin shop, no wooden magnets here, just left over stock from previous years at a bargain price of seventy-five pence.

And definitely first in the stands.

I hate that there is no paper ticket. I don’t like the depressing trend of having everything on your phone. You can lose your phone; it can run out of power or just stop working and then you are fucked. There was no choice with the Shrewsbury ticket, I had to download it onto my phone, only for the unmanned entrance gate to refuse to read the fucking QR code. Had to find a real-life person to let me in.

We are in out all white kit with the red trim, whilst Shrewsbury are in blue shirts with yellow sleeves, yellow shorts, and blue socks.

It is a slow start, lots of sideways passing, but Harry McKirdy loses the ball in midfield, and commits a foul, and moans about the decision and nudges the ball away and earns himself a talking to from the referee. The free kick comes to nothing.

A long ball sees the Shrewsbury number nine in behind Dion Conroy, he plays it back to the edge of the area and a shot is well saved by JoJo Wollacott. There is a lot of fannying about at the back as usual and we almost play ourselves into trouble a couple of times and then give a sloppy corner away. It is taken long, headed clear and there are two shots from Shrewsbury blocked on the edge of the area before we clear it.

Wollacott is down injured and needing treatment on the edge of the area, which is never a good sign as, per usual, we don’t have a keeper on the bench of only six substitutes.

Finally we have an attack with a shot at the end of it. Josh Flint gets the ball after a bit of head tennis on the edge of the Shrewsbury box, and his shot takes a deflection and goes out for a corner. That is taken short to the near side of the box and McKirdy has a shot blocked and then cleared. It’s put back in, but the whistle goes and McKirdy is getting another talking to from the ref for something.

At the back a clearance from Charlie Barker is closed down and Shrewsbury ger a cross in, Conroy gets a foot on it as it comes across and force Wollacott to make a decent save to prevent an own goal, it gets played back to the edge of the box and a shot goes well wide.

There are a couple of decent runs down the right from Dion Pereira, where he is beating men and then cutting inside to try and work room for a shot or a cross. I do wonder if it would be an idea for him to switch wings occasionally and beat people on the outside and get a cross in on his favoured left foot.

A nice ball over the top from Flint finds Harry Forster and he puts in a first time cross; it is flicked on by Kabby Tshimanga to McKirdy and his shot drifts wide. Just after McKirdy picks up a booking in midfield for (apparently) a dive. There looked to be contact, but the booking has been coming for him.

Again we have lots of possession, but a ball is cut out in the Shrewsbury half, and they break quickly, and a block tackle from Barker goes for a corner, it goes all the way across the box, with a slight touch on and runs out for a throw on the other side.

We have an attack through the middle, Tshimanga turns his man and lays it across to Ryan Loft, he puts it back over and McKirdy slots home. The celebrations start but the linesman has the flag up for offside. Conroy is down injured in the centre circle. From the restart we win a free kick and there is a yellow card for a Shrewsbury player, which again looked to be for something said rather than the challenge. We get the ball into the box and there are claims for a handball, Loft has a shot, but it is straight at the keeper.

A ball down the right to Pereira sees him cross the ball in, it comes out to Max Anderson, and his shot takes a deflection for a corner. The ref blows for a foul with the ball in the air before it even gets into the middle. (How many times is that so far this season?)

Flint picks up a booking for a challenge on the wing, which looks a bit harsh as he got his toe to the ball first. The free kick is deep; it’s cleared and then put back in and Wollacott collects. There are five added minutes, where not a lot happens, and the half time whistle goes with the score 0-0.

Into the second half and Shrewsbury fans are baying for a penalty almost straight from the kick off. At the other end we have a long throw, it is half cleared, and Pereira puts it back in, but it goes straight to the keeper. There is a lot of battling in midfield and a ball falls to Loft who has a crack but it is easily saved. A good turn from Anderson and his ball falls to Tshimanga in the box, he beats a man but goes wide and his cross / shot goes straight to the keeper.

We lose the ball in midfield and Shrewsbury break and have a shot which deflected just wide for a corner. It comes in and is flicked on, and the offside flag goes up. A long ball up the left see Loft fouled about thirty-five yards out. It comes to the back post and Flint puts it back across and Barker’s shot is blocked. We have a long throw, flicked on by Flint and punched clear back to Barker who heads it back in and Tshimanga has a shot which is blocked and then cleared. Another ball from Loft finds Tshimanga in the box and again he goes a bit wide before the shot, and it hits the side netting.

A couple of minutes before the usual scheduled time and we make a couple of subs with Pereira and Gavan Holohan coming off to be replaced by Louie Watson and Geraldo Bajrami. A ball is cleared down the right and there is a coming together after it and off the pitch involving McKirdy, he picks up a second yellow and the red. It was given by the lino on the other side of the pitch as the ref certainly didn’t see it. We sub Forster off and replace him with Danny Cashman who is returning from injury. There are twenty-five minutes to survive.

Anderson gets a booking for a coming together in midfield. The ball wasn’t even in play, and the Shrewsbury player has gone down like an extra from Platoon. There is a long stoppage for an injury to a Shrewsbury player, and they aren’t even on the pitch. We make another sub; this time Tshimanga goes off and is replaced by Jack Roles.

Shrewsbury are attacking, they have a long throw, it is headed back across the box and put behind for a corner. It’s taken long and half cleared, and the attempt to put it back in sails high into the stand behind the goal. A Shrewsbury player picks up a yellow card for going straight through Flint as he tries to play the ball out from the back.

The extra man is beginning to tell, we are struggling to keep hold of the ball and struggling to get out of our own half, and we concede a corner. I’d no sooner written that in my notebook, and the ball comes in and is headed in from the middle of the six-yard box, and we trail 0-1.

From the back we work the ball into midfield and then across to the left and manage to win a corner. It is half cleared, put back in and we win another. Again half cleared, it’s put back in and goes out for a throw, Flint hurls it in, and it is headed behind for a corner. That is flapped away for a throw on the other side, that is cleared and comes back on the left and Roles is tripped twenty-five yards out.

There are seven added minutes, the free kick was put out for a throw, it is taken long but there is a foul and Shrewsbury get a free kick, they play it long down the right and win a corner. On our next attack Shrewsbury clear and a player is down claiming a head injury. The ref stops play and the physio comes on and treats his leg. Conroy picks up a booking for something said to the ref.

At the other end there is a yellow for a Shrewsbury player for preventing a free kick being taken. It is taken deep, half cleared and put back in, Loft nods it down and Roles has a shot which is just tipped over the bar as it headed into the top corner. As it comes in the ref blows for a foul.

The final whistle goes and we have lost. 0-1. Again. The crowd was announced as being 4,763, with 166 Crawley fans, most of whom were in fine voice all afternoon.

The loss sees us slip into the relegation places. In the game between the bottom two, Cheltenham beat Newport to move above us, and to add salt to the wound, the two teams directly above us at start of play – Accrington and Tranmere, both won and scored four. It was a shit day.

I know a lot of his play can be a bit scrappy, but perhaps we should consider putting Jack Roles up front, he seems to be the only person not scared of taking a shot, and he does get more than his fair share on target, we won’t win by trying to walk the fucking ball in, and we couldn’t do any worse.

Post game it was a rush to get back in time for my booked train. Five added minutes in the first half and then playing ten added in the second meant we finished after five, my train was just before six, and Giggle maps said it was a fifty-two-minute walk. But gimpy-limpy Kev managed to make it in thirty-seven, even being able to stop and take a photo of the very nice Indian restaurant I wished I had time to stop and get some food at.

It’s dark before I’ve finished the first leg of the journey and finished typing this up. It’s a long day and it feels longer as the hope gets sapped more and more with each game. And the second leg of the journey sees the incompetent fucks at Avanti north west cancel the train to London, their second cancellation of the day, and it may well be tomorrow before I get home now.

Quiz Time – Shrewsbury Town are one of three English sides in League Two this season who have won the Welsh Cup, name the other two.

Next up it is the third and final of the other teams relegated with us from League One last season as we entertain Bristol Rovers at the Broadfield next Saturday. I’m tired of typing the next sentence, but it is a must win game.

Come on you reds.

Right Back Where We Started From

There were a lot of negative sounding song ideas bouncing around this week, bury as a theme, and ‘Down Down’ by Status Quo, and more in that kind of vein. But after a year in more rarified air we are heading back to where we started from last season. And therefore we have some classic seventies disco from Maxine Nightingale and her number eight hit from late 1975.

After the barnstorming performance against Northampton Town on Saturday there was joy and pain in the stadium as first Cambridge United equalised only to concede an even later losing goal to Burton Albion, which left us needing a miracle sequence of results to stay up. Burton played their game in hand on Tuesday night against already safe Wigan Athletic. They took the lead halfway through the second half, only for our old boy Ronan Darcy to score a ninety-sixth minute equaliser, but it was too little too late and virtually the last kick of the game and Burton got the point they needed to be completely safe. A point which condemned ourselves (and Bristol Rovers) to relegation.

As the fans filed out after the lap of appreciation, the players were going back inside and into the Innovation Suite to have their end of season awards ceremony. Last year it was an eighty quid a ticket affair on the Sunday night over at Lingfield Racecourse, but no such thing this year, and no fans on hand to witness the awards, drinking and attempts at dancing. There were six awards, the fan picked player of the season went to Charlie Barker, as did the player’s player award. The other fan picked award; goal of the season went to Bradley Ibrahim for his strike against Wrexham back in February. Then there was the Crawley Observer player of the year, which went to Jeremy Kelly. And two club awards, the first being the clubman of the year, going to Jane Hillman, and a special Dannie Bulman award for outstanding contribution going to Ben Harwood. The latter was a new one compared to last year (although there was a special 100 appearances award for Nick Tsaroulla), but it was a pared down awards set, as the PFA Community Champion, the GH Travel away player of the season, and the CTSA young player of the year were all dropped.

During the week I completed reading the current edition of The Blizzard, in addition to the article on Hastings United (who were relegated from the NL South at the weekend), there was another decent piece on Exeter City and their fan based ownership model, which went at lengths to explain just how much there is going on off the pitch in running a club at this level, and how hard it is to stand still even with increased revenues due to there being other clubs increasing their revenues by a lot more. And how their academy is key to keeping the revenue coming in, with big sell on clause incomes coming from the onward sales of Ollie Watkins and Jay Stansfield, although they highlighted the lunacy of tax laws, as despite the fact that the income for Jay Stansfield comes in over seven years due to the length of the contact with Birmingham City, they have to pay the tax on the whole amount in the first year. It does make you realise how much clubs at our level have to scramble to survive.

This will be our eighth game against Shrewsbury Town, having won our first ever game against them at the Broadfield in our first season in the league, but we haven’t won against them since, with three draws and three defeats against them, including the game back in early October when we went down to ten men after Josh Flint was sent off for two silly bookings in quick succession, went into the lead only for some questionable substitutions to be made (something we returned to a lot), and for us to end up losing 5-3, one of seven times this season we’ve scored three or more goals and not won, and the second such game in a week with the emergency loan keeper Connal Trueman.

There were no Shrewsbury Town football cards from the Topps era, and as for the last two games I’ve gone to the 1991–92 Proset collection, and as with Northampton Town last time out, it’s their fixture card with their manager — John Bond — on the front as I still had that set out anyway.

More on my football card obsession over the years can be read in the article below.

Going into this game both Shrewsbury and we are already relegated, it means the result today is immaterial. Or is it? The Reading takeover saga is still unresolved with them having their deadline extended again until after the end of the season, and there may still be the fallout from that as demotion or expulsion from the league are still sanctions which could be applied to them. Therefore it is worth going all out for a good win today so that we stay above Bristol Rovers in twenty-first place, as that may see the (miniscule) chance of an undeserved reprieve. Only for there to be the announcement a couple of hours before kick-off that the sale had been agreed, so it looks done.

For the third season on the trot our last away game of the season is against a club beginning with S (after Swindon Town and Sutton United), my only season supporting Crawley without the last game being against an S side was my first, when we played Oldham Athletic in the last away game. And in three of those four seasons we have played against a side who were relegated. So, Salford City away last game next season anyone?

We travelled up to Shrewsbury on Thursday night, to make a weekend of it. Shrewsbury is a lovely place to have a look around, and they have Loopfest going on all weekend. Part of which meant we were at Shrewsbury Castle last night to see Goldie Lookin’ Chain. So there was the temptation to use one of their songs for the title today, but not sure about the appeal of having a piece called ‘you mother’s got a penis’ is universal (their finale piece last night was a fifteen minute rave classics megamix version of that, which was a joy to behold.)

More by luck than judgement, the hotel we’re at isn’t that far from the ground, The Croud Meadow (or New Meadow). It is further outside the centre of the town than their old ground Gay Meadow, which was on the banks of the River Severn, but was closed in 2007 and is now this.

The old ground had a local coracle maker – Fred Davies (not to be confused with a later Shrewsbury manager with the same name) – would sit in the river in a coracle to retrieve any stray balls booted out of the ground and into the river. A bit of a far cry from the local scallies running off with them from the Broadfield Stadium car park. Wandering around charity shops I did find a couple of pictures of old Shrewsbury books which had pictures of Gay Meadow in action from the late fifties and early sixties.

And other books also had squad pictures of the team from 1923, looking immensely proud, and a rather uncomfortable looking bunch from 1987.

It is strange what else you can find randomly in charity shops, as there was this windbreaker jacket on the rail in one for Sheffield FC, which just seemed a strange thing to find in Shrewsbury.

The weather couldn’t make its mind up and there was a charity shop hoodie purchase this morning as it was freezing, only for the sun to be out and us to be sitting in it for the game.

The club shop is a Portakabin in the car park, and it was rammed, with queues out the door as they had a sale on. They told me that programmes were available elsewhere, only to get round to the away end and be told the club shop was the only place they were selling them today. So no programme and not happy. It would appear the emergency loan for Toby Steward was extended even if it wasn’t announced. Shrewsbury are in blue and yellow striped shirts, with blue socks and shorts and we are in our all-red kit again.

Not sure what they were, or what caused them, but there were strange almost circular patches of no grass two yards in front of each post.

It took twenty seconds, which was even quicker than I had expected when I’d mentioned what our first chant would be, and the Crawley fans didn’t disappoint – “You’re going down with the Crawley” – absolutely no surprise.

There is an early Shrewsbury free kick thirty yards out won from a blatant drive. It is cleared. It seems to be an early Shrewsbury tactic to dive down to the ground at any hint of a challenge around the box.

We have some decent possession, but Shrewsbury break down the left wing and get a cross into the box, there is a free header at the back post, but it goes wide. There is a bit of an early pattern in that, we have possession, Shrewsbury break down the left and get a cross in. the fourth time it happens Charlie Barker heads it clear for a corner, it comes in and we have it with Jack Roles who takes it out of the penalty area and heads up the right, and he is taken out. We get a free kick, but that should have brought a yellow about.

Another corner is conceded following a sloppy pass out of defence by Dion Conroy, it comes in and is headed over. Some of our passing around at the back is heart stopping stuff. We lose the ball in midfield and it is one on one with the keeper, but there is a lack of confidence, and they pass it sideways, again, they decide not to shoot and there is a coming together and the Shrewsbury attacker goes down, I’m half expecting a penalty, but play goes on. We seem to have gone to sleep a bit, especially when compared to our last few games. Shrewsbury are having the better of some extremely limited exchanges.

So limited that the boisterous away crowd are making their own entertainment, and the old favourite of ‘shoes off if you love Crawley’ is making an appearance, along with a bout of shoe waving.

A free kick is conceded in midfield with a bit of a late lunge from Liam Fraser, again I’d have expected a yellow for that, but there isn’t one (well I didn’t see one, probably because Steve Herbert was talking to us so I only had one eye on the game, but apparently there was one shown). However the ref hasn’t forgotten his cards as it might appear, as when Jeremy Kelly is taken out on the left wing, a yellow card for the Shrewsbury player.

It has taken quite some time, but we do finally get a shot, played down the right and into the box and a Max Anderson shot is deflected wide for a corner. The corner goes deep there is a header at the back post which is cleared off (or near) the line and hacked away. We are getting a bit better, we’re trying to play through the middle, but are trying one pass too many and are not getting an attempt at a shot. And again we work it into the box, another pass, and another, and finally a shot, which is blocked. There is one added minute at the end of the half before the half time whistle goes with the score at 0-0 in what has been a somewhat insipid first half.

The second half starts with a Shrewsbury attack, and they win a corner, it goes deep, and Toby Steward punches clear to the edge of the area, there is a shot back in which is blocked and there is another corner. It is taken short; we win it and as Roles tries to play out, he is fouled on the edge of the area. We break down the right and slide the ball through the Rushian Hepburn-Murphy in the box, he passes it back to Panutche Camara, and back to RHM, out to Roles and he crosses it to the back of the box where Gavan Holohan is bundled over about eight yards out. Similar contact to the Shrewsbury one in the first half, so surprised when a penalty is given. More than happy to get it though, especially after some of the non-calls earlier in the season (Bristol Rovers away in the second half and the five decent penalty shouts spring to mind). The Shrewsbury player who conceded the penalty is less than happy. He and several players are moaning to the ref and continuing after he has let RHM get ready to take the penalty. It looks like a tactic to delay the penalty, but whatever is said the ref takes offence and sends the Shrewsbury player off.

The palaver doesn’t put RHM off and he puts it just left of centre as the keeper dives to the right and it is 1-0 to us.

Our next attack sees a ball down the left to RHM in the box who gets barrelled into from behind, but the ref waves play on. That was more of a penalty than the one we were given. We are trying to make the extra man count. There is more attacking pressure. Kelly plays a ball across the field to Roles on the right wing, his cross is put behind for a corner. It is taken deep and there is a lot of pushing and pulling from both sides in the box and the ball goes out to the edge of the area where Roles shoots and the shot is high, wide, and not in the slightest bit handsome.

A Shrewsbury attack is stopped by a foul by Ben Radcliffe which picks up a yellow card. The resulting free kick is played long to the left and they win a corner, which goes across the box and is put out for another corner on the other side of the box. That is played out to the edge of the area and shot is blocked and then we clear it. We play it forward to RHM he passes it to Camara, over to Roles, he crosses it and Holohan gets a header, it comes down to Camara, he passes it back to the edge of the area and Anderson gets it and shoots, it goes into the bottom corner and we lead 2-0.

The next attack sees a ball to Kelly, and he pings it out to Holohan on the left wing, and it goes across to RHM, then Camara, then Anderson, and out to Roles on the right wing who puts a cross in, but it is cleared. It is Kelly’s last involvement as he is substituted and replaced by Armando Junior Quitirna.

Shrewsbury play out from the back and their player charges down the middle for half the pitch before shooting, which Steward stops and collects on the second attempt, and we counter down the left getting the ball to RHM who beats the first man, but then fails to get around the second near the byline, getting muscled out and going over in the box, with no hope of getting anything for that.

We are getting lots of possession, as you would expect with an extra man, getting the ball to Camara down the right channel, he puts in a looping cross over to Roles beyond the back post, but the ball won’t come down quick enough for him to get a shot off and it gets smuggled away and cleared. Shrewsbury break down the right and get a shot off which Steward saves, and it gets cleared long down the left-hand side to AJQ, and he can’t quite get it under control, and it skips through to the keeper.

The next attack sees the ball through to RHM in the middle of the park in the attacking half, as he nears the edge of the box he cuts across and is taken down by the last defender. We get the free kick twenty five yards out smack bang in the middle of the goal, but the last man challenge only draws a yellow card, when it could have easily been a red. AJQ takes the free kick and dips it over the wall, and the keeper does well to tip it over the bar for a corner. It is played short and worked out to Roles who is in a similar position to where the free kick was from, and he is fouled and there is another one. He takes it this time; it is low and around the wall but doesn’t have the power and the keeper saves it easily.

And for the third time in a couple of minutes we have a free kick at about twenty-five yards out, this time it is Holohan who is through and cuts inside the defender and is taken down. Again it is the last defender, but there isn’t even a booking this time. Before the kick is taken, we make a couple of substitutions with Holohan and Roles going off to be replaced by Kamari Doyle and Antony Papadopoulos. AJQ takes the free kick and bends it over the wall, and it is well saved down low.

Camara is taken out on the wing in midfield, which does see a yellow card for a Shrewsbury player. Camara is still doing all action, and forces a mistake in defence, the ball out goes straight to Anderson who slips it into the box to RHM, who takes it on the run and round the last defender, only to rush the shot and put it wide.

The long punt clear sees Conroy inexplicably head it backwards and out for a corner. It is taken short and then passed back to the taker who is then offside. We attack and get our own corner down the right, it is played short, and we do a spell of keep ball passing it out to the left and then back to the right where it come to AJQ who cuts inside into the box and shoots, but it goes wide left.

A sloppy free kick is given away in midfield, the harmless looking ball into the box sees an overhead kick attempt from Shrewsbury look as if it is going harmlessly well wide, but it finds another player on the left of the box who shoots across Steward and into the corner of the net and it is back to 2-1.

There are four added minutes. AJQ gets dispossessed in midfield, Shrewsbury break and get down the right, they get a cross in and a shot is saved by Steward, and the ball is put out for a corner. There is a massive melee in the box before it is taken. The Shrewsbury keeper runs the length of the pitch to get involved. There is a booking (just the one and to a Shrewsbury player, from our end no idea what for), and the keeper stays up for the corner. We clear and head down the right, we are screaming shoot and when we get into the Shrewsbury half the ball is passed forward and RHM is on the end, and he shoots and scores. But the flag is up for offside. He was definitely played on by a defender, but as the keeper was up the other end, the defender was the only one playing him on.

We clear again and break down the left with a ball to RHM who is pulled back and we get a free kick and there is another yellow for a Shrewsbury player. There is only time to take it and then the final whistle goes, and we have won 2-1.

The players come to acknowledge the fans at the end. Scott Lindsey singles out the substituted Jeremy Kelly by putting his arm around him and pointed at him as if encouraging us to chant his name. Which to me doesn’t look a good sign, that was more a ‘cheer him while you can’ gesture as if that were the last time we would be seeing Kelly in a Crawley shirt. I hope I am wrong.

Burton Albion lost, as did Bristol Rovers, and so we finish twenty first, a single point and nine goal difference from safety, which is somewhat frustrating. There are a lot of things I could say about that, but I’ll save that for my season review piece later in the week.

TAFKAL wasn’t with the travelling contingent today, for which I’m sure the officials were grateful, instead he was bowling at the Welsh Open championships, and after today he was top of the leaderboard, so as it stands at least Crawley are winning something. Well done TAFKAL, let’s hope you can stay top and win.

And so that is it, all the games have been played, the points have been tallied, and the final results are in, and we have not been good enough and so head off back to the mire of Division Two for next season. This is my last match report of the season (but there will be a season review piece), and so I’ll now be spending my time supporting Leicestershire-La-La-La in the cricket, where hopefully they can keep their good start to the season going and stay in the promotion places in the country championship. And there is going to be Crawley Town related activity to come over the summer as a new CTFC exhibition will be taking place at Crawley Museum from the 17^th July to 16^th August covering the last couple of years.

Come on you reds.

Rat Rapping

Yes, I really am going there, with Roland Rat’s mid eighties novelty hit. Well with the Shrews in town, it’s all rodent related. Or at least small furry mammals.

Back to league action after the rollercoaster of the Tuesday night Bristol Street Motors Trophy game, the 3-4 loss at home to AFC Wimbledon. The week hasn’t been any less thrilling for me as it has progressed, and equally not in the best of ways.

I have been known to use the phrase ‘I would rather stick knitting needles in my eyes than…’ where the … hasn’t just been watching or reading something. A lot. A hell of a lot. However, I feel I may need to stop using that, or at least cut back on using that phrase. Having been diagnosed with diabetic macular oedema my right eye needs treatment, or a course of treatments, which involve injecting something into my eyeball. At which point I found my eyeballs are quite sensitive. They don’t even like drops being put in them. Even the numbing ones, let alone the antiseptic ones. And they don’t like the air blown into them to test the pressure. Eyeball pressure. Is that a thing? Blood pressure, tyre pressure, yes, I know them, but eye pressure is a new one on me. The eye is then clamped open, and a mask put over the rest of the face. I was told where to look (which is harder than it sounds, I seem to struggle to focus on one point unless it is straight on) and whilst concentrating on looking down and to the left they sneak in and stick the needle it the right side of the eyeball away from my peripheral vision. It doesn’t hurt, the numbing drops make sure of that, but it does feel weird (maybe that is psychosomatic as I’m not sure I’m feeling anything). And then there are bubbles of stuff (I don’t actually know what it is) floating around inside the eye. When the numbing drops wear off the eye is a bit sore, but I thank fuck that’s over. Only to remember there are four more injections to come at one a month. Trust me, after that, there is no chance of any fucking knitting needles going anywhere near my eyes thank you very much. Let’s just hope the treatment works and five is all I need and that they don’t decide the left one needs doing as well.

And then there were more needles this morning, one in each arm as I have COVID and flu jabs. But I don’t even seem to notice them going in. I just wonder where they are going to aim to stick the next needle. Let’s hope I don’t need an emergency tetanus shot, and they have to stick a needle in my arse.

The lesser spotted Reggie the Red has been seen. He was at Manor Royal as Crawley Town announced a marketing partnership with Manor Royal BID. As he has only been seen away from the Broadfield Stadium it does beg the question of whether he was identified as one of the phantom flare throwers and has therefore received a stadium ban meaning he is only able to make appearances offsite.

Anyway, on to today’s game and the visit of Shrewsbury Town (with chatter from people I know about how to pronounce it – is it Shrew or Shrow? Quite a rabbit hole to go down). It is one of only two League One games going ahead today due to international call ups. It might have been postponed if Eddie Beach hadn’t been out injured, and so we only had two call ups and not the three required. Shrewsbury are one of the small number of clubs below us in the league before kick-off, with them one place and two points behind us in twenty-second, and they have played a game more than us.

We haven’t played Shrewsbury since being relegated to League Two at the end of 2013-14 season. We did play them three seasons on the trot following our entering the league, as they were one of the other teams promoted that first season. We beat them in the first game we played against them at the Broadfield, but haven’t beaten them since, with two defeats and three draws since then.

I get to the ground nice and early after writing group and armed with my camera having found a new setting on it which automatically turns the photos into cartoonised versions. And it is a new obsession for me to play with, and so it is that setting which has provided all the photos for today’s piece.

Shrewsbury are in what looks like all white at first glance, but it has yellow trim. From the kick off it only takes us ten seconds to get a shot off. Rushian Hepburn-Murphy’s shot is off target, but it is a promising start.

There is a bit of back and forth and then Bradley Ibrahim feeds Ronan Darcy who eludes a tackle and has his shot deflected over for a corner which is taken deep but it goes straight out. The same combination link up again a few seconds later and Darcy’s shot is tipped around the post for another corner which is played short, and then across and back before being cleared. RHM surges forward on the other side and appears to be blocked off and down with a head injury, but it is another thirty seconds and with Shrewsbury up the other end before the ref brings play to a halt for treatment to be called on.

Darcy gets in again and has another shot, it is deflected again for another corner. The keeper flaps at it a bit but it is cleared. Shrewsbury have an attack and get a cross in and there is a clear header in the box, but it is straight at Connal Trueman for an easy save. Back on the attack and Darcy has another shot, but this one isn’t as accurate, and it flies over the KRL Logistics stand for the only ball loss of the day.

Shrewsbury get a free kick thirty-five yards out and float it to the back post and it is headed over. We get a long throw opportunity on the attack again and Josh Flint’s throw is flicked on by Jay Williams and cleared off the line Shrewsbury attack again, this time down the right wing and it is crossed in and half cleared, it falls to a Shrewsbury attacked and although Trueman gets hands to the ball the shot creeps in and we are 0-1 down. This cues up the Shrewsbury fans to start singing ‘How shit must you be, we’re winning away.’ Which appeals to my gallows sense of humour.

We get a free kick near halfway and it is floated in, and headed half clear to Toby Mullarkey whose shot is deflected for another corner. It is played short to Ibrahim who plays it back to Darcy and his shot from a tight angle goes high and wide. There is decent work down the left and Harry Forster crosses and Armando Junior Quitirna plays it back into the middle where Williams has a header tipped onto the bar and Will Swan is on hand to head the rebound in from two yards out to level things up 1-1.

Shrewsbury have a shot over the bar, and then we attack down the right again, but the final ball is just too strong for Swan to get on the end. It’s back up the other end as Shrewsbury attack and the cross goes through the six-yard box but luckily there is no one to get on the end of it. Shrewsbury are beginning to pick up bookings for their persistent fouling, but their number 27 looks unlucky to pick up his, as it was clearly their number 3 who committed the foul.

RHM does some decent work down the left and puts Swan in for another chance, and his shot is blocked and cleared, and Williams picks up a booking. Which I believe is number five of the league season, which means a one game ban for him. There are three added minutes at the end of the half before the half time whistle goes with the score level at 1-1.

The second half starts slowly, and it is a few minutes in when Shrewsbury have an attack, and a shot is tipped onto the post and comes back out before being cleared. At the other end Armando and Darcy link up but the cross is caught by the keeper. Another right-wing attack sees Armando in at a tight angle and his shot just goes past the far post.

Back at the other end Flint picks up a booking which looks a bit harsh, and it means he has also reached five for the season and will be suspended for a game. No, scrub that, less than a minute later he is adjudged to have another pull back on their number 9 and there is a second yellow and a red for him, so that will be two matches banned, and we are down to ten men. Both yellows look harsh, but the second was a silly one to get picked up for having only just picked up a yellow for the first challenge. We’re in a hole a mole would be proud of.

The resulting free kick is played into the box and the header is deflected for a corner, which is cleared for a throw. We attack down the left and Forster crosses from the byline and Armando is at the far post to put the ball in and we lead 2-1. And before we restart the scorer is substituted along with Darcy with Max Anderson and Panutche Camara coming on to replace them.

There is more concerted pressure from the eleven men of Shrewsbury against our ten men, but we do get a couple of breaks. Then Forster is injured defending as he slides to prevent a cross and gives a corner away. He is subbed off before the corner with Joy Mukena coming on to replace him, but at the same time RHM and Ibrahim are taken off as well, with Jeremy Kelly and Gavan Holohan coming on to replaced them. An unusual triple substitution before a set piece. The corner is taken, a shot saved, another sits the post and there is a goalmouth scramble before it is bundled in, and the scores are level again 2-2.

On the next attack a cross comes in from the right wing and the Shrewsbury attacker is going to ground before the ball is anywhere near and before any contact will Mullarkey, but a penalty is given and it’s a booking for Mullarkey, and stop me if you’ve heard this before today, but that makes five bookings for the season and he too will miss the next game due to suspension. The penalty sends Trueman the wrong way and we trail again 2-3. It’s seeming increasingly like the officials are doing their impression of the three blind mice.

We are struggling to get out of our own half now. Another cross comes in from the right and the shot is deflected for a corner. It is headed down at the far post and turned in and we now trail 2-4. It is like the wheel is spinning now, but the hamster is well and truly dead.

There are eight added minutes. We are attacking and Shrewsbury get the ball back and attack down the left, an early cross is put in and their number nine is all alone and puts the ball through Trueman and we are further behind 2-5.

We get a free kick thirty yards out and Kelly lines up to take it. It clips a player on the wall and wrong foots the keeper and finds its way into the net and we have pulled it back to 3-5. We attack again and a Kelly cross finds Swan and it is blocked out. There is still time for Mukena to pick up a late booking for a nothing challenge before the full-time whistle goes with another loss, this time 3-5.

The substitutions seemed strange and poorly timed, but our propensity to pick up stupid bookings cost us today. It was strange for us to have scored three goals in back-to-back games after a streak of scoreless games, and for us to lose both of those games.

The crowd was announced as being 4,215 with 384 away fans. There was no mention of a sponsors’ man of the match.

The loss sees us swap places with Shrewsbury and we drop to twenty-second in the table. More worryingly it looks as if we will be without Jay Williams, Toby Mullarkey, and Josh Flint for the away trip to Reading next week. Let’s hope Benjamin Tanimu makes it back from international duty fit and raring to go, we will need all the defensive help we can get next week.

Monday night sees the draw for the first-round proper of the FA Cup. It is on TV at 7pm and we are ball eighteen in the draw. Let’s hope for a decent draw for a change, a home tie against lower league opposition would be good.