Back In The UK

Nothing to do with the fact we have had players away on international duty, or anything to do with the two teams today, but just that I fancied a bit of Scooter on the end of season playlist. So, hold tight posse.

Anyway, speaking of international duty, it has been two weeks since our last game due to the fact our game against Burton was postponed due to the fact that they had had (at least) three international call ups. Ours was one of nine League One games which were postponed for the same reason. I don’t know which is more surprising to me, that there are at least nine teams in the division with at least three internationals, or that Wrexham weren’t one of them.

Since our last game and a couple of days after the transfer window had been shut it turns out we have made another signing, which was just awaiting international clearance. It wasn’t fake news as thought last time, but we have signed Nigerian Internation Benjamin Tanimu had signed for us from Tanzanian league side Singida Black Stars, with the ridiculous figure of £650k being bandied about as the fee.

It does mean that we may become one of those sides with three international call ups in future international break windows, as both of our keepers were called up last week, and the new signing was in the Nigerian squad.

We have the new signing, but we have also lost our loan signing from Bournemouth Anthony Dacosta Gonzalez, as it would appear he picked up an injury in preseason, and it has been decided it is best if he goes back to his parent club to be treated. And yesterday it was announced that Antony Papadopoulos has joined Maidstone United on loan until January. Quickly followed by Muhammad Faal being sold to Worthing for an undisclosed fee, which puts an end to my neither Fish nor Faal statement about the matchday squads.

The international break meant there was a need to find something else to fill the time. I’ve joined the Crawley Camera Club, in an attempt to improve my photography skills, and to try and move to quality over quantity for photos taken. Because that has worked so well with all the writing groups I have joined.

There was also the weekly obligatory visit to the club shop where I bought myself the insulated / padded lunch bag. Mainly for the triggering effect it will have in my office. I work in Hove, and so the CTFC logo in the fridge amongst all the BHA fans will be interesting. I didn’t buy another different top though.

And my other main sporting love started last weekend with the first week of the NFL season. Only for Fuck Sky Sports to make a hash of that coverage as well, cutting off the last fifteen minutes of RedZone and replacing it with adverts and highlights from random games from last season. It’s not just League One coverage which they are incompetent over.

Then on Tuesday the club shop rang to say my shirts were back with the custom printed name and number. In less than the two weeks they had advised, so it meant another Friday trip to the club shop. I’m happy with them, safe in the knowledge I’m unlikely to be sold on at the end of the season.

I’ve also been on eBay looking for some of the old programmes from games I went to before I became a Crawley fan. It’s a surprise just how few Crawley programmes from the last ten years there are on there. Plenty of older ones going back to the sixties though. Not a rabbit hole I should be going down though, stick to the actual ones I’m looking for, such as this one from beating Ipswich in the Capital One Cup (as it was then), when I got guest tickets from the ref, and was amused by the fact the officials had to discuss and then ring and check to see what the extra time / penalties rules were for the competition for that season.

And it’s been announced that we will be having a new ticketing system from the start of October, which will require season ticket holders to get new season tickets which can be scanned by the new system. The announcement caused uproar amongst the usual suspects on the forum, as the window for swap was shown to be between the Bolton game on the Saturday at the end of the month, and the Mansfield game on the following Tuesday. Which isn’t a large window of opportunity, but when in the club shop I did hear the staff saying that window is worst scenario, they are hoping to have the new season tickets a week before the Bolton game.

Anyway, onto today’s game. We went into today in twelfth place in the table, only to have dropped to fourteenth before kick off due to other early kick offs in the division. Whilst our opponents Stockport County, had been top but were overtaken in the international window as they didn’t play either and start the game in second in the league. They were another of the promoted teams from League Two last year, winning the title along the way. Our two games against them both finished in draws, and our two games the season before that saw one victory apiece.

Plenty of happy looking Stockport fans were milling around the stadium pre-game and they had four coaches parked up when I arrived. Stockport were playing in blue shirts and socks with blue bases to their white shorts. They have one of the heroes for us last season – Corey Addai – in goal, let’s hope there are no heroics from him today.

There is still no sign of Reggie the Red, and no update on the misper. If he is being held to ransom somewhere he might well be shit out of luck as all the money has reputedly gone on our new Nigerian signing.

We start brightly and on the front foot, but it is Stockport who get the first attempt on goal, when a header from a cross goes over the bar. There are a few early long balls pumped from JoJo Wollacott down the right wing looking to find Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, but they aren’t quite working. And on six minutes a Stockport attack down the left sees the ball worked across the box and a shot is drilled back across Wollacott and into the bottom corner and we are down 0-1 early doors again.

But we aren’t letting them steamroll us like Barnsley did a couple of weeks ago. The ball is worked well down the left between Ronan Darcy and Jeremy Kelly and the cross finds RHM on the far side of the box, but it is whipped off his toes for a corner. We have a similar attack a couple of minutes later, which goes out for a long throw from Josh Flint. A Crawley player is dragged down in the box, but no penalty is forthcoming, and we get a corner instead. It is cleared and Max Anderson picks up a booking for a pull back to prevent the break.

There are a couple of off the ball challenges from Stockport which if not unnoticed are certainly being ignored. We have a nice long spell of possession, knocking the ball around neatly all over the pitch, and end up with a corner, which goes all the way across the box and runs out to Panutche Camara who attempts to drift it into the top corner, but it floats just over the bar.

At the other end there is a bit of frantic play in the box and appeals for a Stockport penalty are waved away. We attack again and Camara gets another shot off from just outside the box, but it is dragged wide. It is a bit back and forth and Stockport have another shot which is well wide. In the middle of the park Jay Williams picks up his customary booking after lunging after a ball he has mis controlled and given away.

There is a bit of sloppy play, and we give the ball away again and Stockport pounce and get another shot off, this one is on target and Wollacott is down well to save and push round the post for a corner. There is a clash of heads in the box and a Stockport player is down and requiring treatment. And when play is restarted Stockport win another corner. The board goes up for four added minutes at the end of the half, and right at the end of that we win a free kick, dead centre, twenty-five yards out which Kelly lines up to take and puts well over with it crashing into the boards above the KRL Logistics stand, and with the miss comes the half time whistle.

We start the second half brightly as well, and get an early corner, it is cleared, but we put another cross back into the box only for that to be cleared as well. We attack again and get the ball into Camara in the box and there is a clash of bodies and Camara and a Stockport defender go to the ground. Darcy goes down in another challenge, but the ref gives it as a foul against him and Stockport can clear.

The next attack is intercepted, and Stockport break quickly and get a shot off which goes wide. Ball one disappears out over the top of the west stand from a Crawley clearance and from the throw Stockport attack again and get a decent chance which is only just wide. A couple of challenges in midfield see both managers up off the bench and berating the fourth official and the ref comes over and books the pair of them.

Another attack sees the ball worked to Darcy in the middle of the field and he has a shot along the ground from outside the box which is an easy save for Addai. We win a free kick on the edge of the area to the right of the D, and before it is taken we make three substitutions, with Will Swan, RHM, and Williams coming off (the latter probably to save him from being sent off after a talking to following another challenge a couple of minutes before), and Ade Adeyemo, Bradley Ibrahim, and Armando Junior Quitirna coming on. The latter takes the free kick, it comes back off the wall and he takes it into the box where he is fouled, and the ref does point to the spot this time. Having won the penalty, he gets up and takes it and sends Addai the wrong way and it is level, 1-1.

We attack again almost immediately, but Camara is robbed in midfield and Stockport break and force a good save from Wollacott. It’s a mad twenty seconds as the corner is dropped, half cleared, and a shot is blocked out and then another shot comes in and is cleared for a corner, which gets put behind on the other side for another corner, which is thankfully put straight out of play and things calm down again.

We are forcing some mistakes at the other end, and get a corner from an error, which is cleared, Stockport go up the other end and get a corner themselves. We get a free kick in midfield, it is played into the box and cleared for a corner. It is worked to Alexander whose shot is blocked. We are applying some pressure, but the final ball isn’t quite there. There are three added minutes and the game peters out and finishes 1-1. A decent point against early pacesetters.

The crowd was announced as being 4,538 with an away contingent of 803. The point saw us claim back one of the spots we dropped at lunch time, and we are now thirteenth in the table, whilst Stockport dropped two places to fourth.

No post-match curry this week as we headed straight into town and Crawley Live on the high street and had pizza instead sat outside watching various performers, none of whom were as entertaining as the game this afternoon.

Next up is the away trip up to top of the table Wrexham, one we aren’t making this year. But hopefully it will be a rewarding trip for those making it.

Come on you reds.

Hatters Off To Everyone

Another blast from the past this time around as it is an early sixties Del Shannon hit I am mangling. If it had been Lawrence Maguire responsible for the outcome, then it would have been so near to the proper title of Hats Off To Larry. The sponsors thought so as they named him man of the match. Not entirely sure they were watching the same game as us.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to a game. The last one was the rip roaringly load away win against AFC Wimbledon. I did finally get copies of the programme for the AFC game. It was the first programme of the season. And I had written the away team season so far piece that appeared in it.

And it’s been over a month since my last home game against Forest Green Rovers. Part of this is due to poor planning, as I was away in Sevilla last week for our last home game, the come from behind win against the fast-fading Notts County. But the other home game wasn’t me. Our game against Barrow at the start of the month being called off due to the unceasing rain that had fallen for seemingly months before it.

Including the AFC game, with the Barrow game called off, there was a run of four straight away games. The third of those at Morecambe midweek was a disappointing 1-0 defeat despite bossing the game. Either side of that though were two wins, the first against Accrington Stanley, and the latter being another come from behind win at Harrogate Town.

We go into tonight’s game in tenth in the league, with at least one game in hand on everyone above us in the table except tonight’s opponents. And we are only two points off that last playoff place, currently held by AFC. In addition we currently have the best form (based on last six league games played) in the division. The opponents are Stockport County who currently sit second in the league, twelve points ahead of us.

Our away fixture against them came at the start of September and was a 3-3 thriller (one of our rare draws) and came just before they went on a massive winning streak that saw them ten points clear at the top of the league at one point.

This game was originally due to be played on Saturday, but Sky TV came along and screwed all that up by moving Stockport’s midweek game to Thursday night so they could televise them playing Salford City. The game couldn’t be moved to Sunday, as Brighton Ladies were already contracted to play their ‘home’ game yesterday, so it is a Monday night game now. Which I’m not happy about as I’d got tickets to go to another of the wonderful Crawley WORDfest events this evening, their ‘Noir at the bar’. It is a bit of a rush to get to the game as early as I want to be, as I needed to be in the office today in Hove, and due to other circumstances, I don’t have the car today. So being able to get home, feed myself, sort away coach travel for the Sutton game and get to my seat well before kick off feels like quite an achievement.

There was a slight panic at home. I had taken the season ticket out of my wallet before going to Sevilla, but couldn’t remember where I’d put it and had a bit of a frantic search. And I thought that Kev as a name wasn’t difficult to decipher, especially when spelling it out, but there was Ken, Keb, Ked, and Kef written down before Kev was.

Had the chance to have a chat with Al. he’s had a busy week stewarding; Roma fans to deal with Thursday night, Brighton Ladies yesterday and us today. Keeps him out of mischief I suppose. Plenty of Stockport fans have made the trip down, and there were two coaches parked up before the game. Stockport were in blue shirts and socks and white shorts. There was a surprise when Paul, who I know from writing had a ticket for a seat near me instead of his usual terrace corner.

Crawley start well and have some early pressure; decent cross is collected by their keeper who inexplicably boots it against the back of the retreating Danilo Orsi, and it spins back towards the goal. Stockport start to get into the game and have a couple of corners, but we press well, and they play it all the way back to their keeper who passes it straight to Harry Forster, whose attempted shot from distance with the keeper stranded out of the area is a bit sliced and goes out for a throw in on the opposite side. The biggest surprise was there was no comment from Rick behind me along the lines of Jack Powell would have scored that.

We break again and the ball is worked across and through into the box. A shot is saved, and we think it’s a corner, but the flag has gone up for offside. And there is another decent possession and cross into the box, but this one is headed over. We get a free kick in a decent position not far outside the left-hand side of the box, but it gets played across and wasted and we are lucky there wasn’t a two on one break on for Stockport.

There is a lot of back and forth, and a couple of times in quick succession, their number 3 takes Kellen Gordon out, and is lucky to escape getting a booking. Orsi has a decent shot well saved for another corner, the third in quick succession, and third time lucky for those who like to see corners played into the area straight away. There follows another good right-wing attack and Gordon’s cross cum shot is kept out by the keeper’s feet.

Meanwhile the Stockport number 10 is looking dangerous, he has the third run and shot from the edge of the area and each of them is closer than the last. There is one minute of added time, in which nothing happens, and it is half time with the game goalless.

The second half sees a brisk start, but Stockport have come out firing on all cylinders. They have a shot which Corey Addai saves well, only for the offside flag to go up. They are definitely having the better of the exchanges and are first to all the second balls. There are more shots, and that man Addai is showing why he was player of the month for February with another string of good saves. Even if his kicking is a bit skew whiff this evening.

We have an attack and win a free kick. The ball is played into the area, and there are claims from most of the players for a handball by Stockport, but the claims are waved away, and Stockport end up getting a free kick themselves. At the other end Stockport get a corner, and as it comes over there is a Crawley defender shoved to the ground, which is ignored and there is no one marking their number 19 at the far post and he heads it down into the bottom corner beating Addai at the post, and it is 1-0 to Stockport.

At this point it seems to be all Stockport. They are pressing well, and we are finding it difficult to get out of our own half.  The crowd is announced, and they say it is 3,339 PLUS 451 away fans (not including as usual), so will be interested to see whether the total crowd is 3,339 or 3,790.

But we have come to life a bit. A long ball by Joy Mukena is played down the channel, Ade Adeyemo gets there, and it is deflected into the box. Orsi gets to it and lays it back to the onrushing Klaidi Lolos who takes a touch and smashes it into the net for the equaliser. 1-1.

A couple of minutes later and Lolos is down off the ball near the edge of the area. But as is usual when there is an off the ball incident with a Crawley player down, none of the officials have seen a thing, and play continues without any cards appearing. At the other end there is a bit of confusion from a Stockport cross, and it nearly ends up being an own goal, but Addai keeps it out again.

There are five added minutes shown on the board, and Stockport celebrate this by launching a clearance over the west stand for the first ball loss of the day. Which is quickly followed by ball two. We work the ball well and it falls to Maguire on the edge of the box, and he hoofs the potential moment of glory high and wide over the Eden Utilities Stand and probably into the Fan zone. There is one more chance as we break down the right again, but the cross is too high and too deep and goes out the other side for a throw and the final whistle is blown with the final score 1-1.

Only our fifth draw of the season, and the second against second place Stockport. The point takes us up one place to ninth in the table, behind Walsall on goal difference with a game in hand on them, and a point behind AFC in seventh (and the play off spots) with two games in hand on them.

Next up are Tranmere Rovers away on Saturday, a team in decent form themselves.

Come on you reds.

Finally Off And Running

It feels like a long time since we last had a home game, but it is only a fortnight since we drew with Portsmouth in the Papa Johns Trophy and then won a penalty shoot out to claim the bonus point. The Saturday after that we drew away at Salford City, the second straight Saturday we had gained an away point in Greater Manchester. Then last Saturday’s home game against Gillingham was postponed after the death of the Queen on Thursday.

The date for the rearranged game against Gillingham hasn’t been set yet, but it’s bit of a shame it has been postponed as Gillingham are struggling to win as well, and it might have been a good time to play them. Now it will be played on a random Tuesday night, probably just after they hit a streak of good form.

Our opponents tonight are Stockport County. Freshly promoted from the National League. We were promoted to the Football League the year they were relegated to the Conference, and as such we have not played a competitive game against them. Their fans were scathing of our stadium in the season preview in Four Four Two, saying it would be a nasty reminder of playing in non-league. Which is fairly fucking cheeky considering how much of a delipidated shithole Edgeley Park was in the early noughties (They were in what was Division 2 then, and I went to a couple of games, back when you could rock up and get a ticket on the day.) And the fact they used to play their home games on a Friday night, so they didn’t clash with the two Manchester clubs and therefore get a few more people in.

We start the game in 22nd, just out of the relegation places on goal difference. Stockport are in 18th, four points ahead of us, and they won their last game, a 1-0 win over the Wombles.

It’s been raining on and off all day, but it hasn’t been windy so it shouldn’t be coming in sideways to get us wet sat in the east stand. It’s nearly dark as we walk to the ground, a combination of the quickly drawing in nights and the weather. I suppose the Stockport fans will be used to this kind of weather.

I get a programme; they still need a proof-reader. The message from the General Manager said we lost to Rochdale (a draw), if the General Manager can’t get these things right what hope are we supposed to have?

We see Al, he’s on duty on the Eden Utilities terrace again. Trying to stay in the corner where there is the least rain.

Stockport County are wearing their third kit, all yellow, like faded highlighter pens, which is a shame as I was hoping for their faux Argentina second kit.

There is a minute’s silence before the kick off, which is very well observed, and followed by the National Anthem, which was sung slightly out of time by most of the crowd.

The pitch certainly didn’t need watering. It stopped raining briefly as we walked to the game, but when the whistle went the start the game, it brought in the rain to teem it down for most of the game. It was playing havoc with the linesman’s hair (for those who weren’t there, he was bald).

Five minutes in and we win a ball in midfield, pass it through to James Tilley, who takes a shot from twenty-five yards out. It takes a slight deflection and ends up in the bottom corner of the goal and we lead 1-0. Only eighty-five minutes to hold out this week.

On seventeen minutes, Stockport have a breakaway. A ball is put through which looked suspiciously offside, but the Stockport striker latches on to the ball and tucks it in to make it 1-1. (Twelve minutes we held on.)

And it nearly got worse straight from the kick off, a careless back pass puts in Stockport’s number ten, but thankfully he scoops the ball over the goal. A couple of minutes later the ref slips as he runs to keep up with play and struggles to get back up and blows his whistle to halt proceedings.

Just before the half hour mark a ball is played into the area, and Dom Telford brings it down brilliantly with the outside of his left foot, and he is through on the keeper, but unfortunately it is a weak shot and straight at the keeper.

Five minutes later and it is Stockport’s turn for a horrendous back pass. One of their defenders passes it straight back to Tom Nichols, who passes it across to Dom Telford, who just gets it past the keeper and into the corner of the net for his first league goal of the season, and we lead again 2-1 (only fifty-five minutes to hold out this time).

It takes until nearly half time for the first ball to disappear, a ball bounces off James Tilley’s knee and over the East Stand. Two minutes of injury time are indicated before it is half time.

Half time playlist is…. not changed, probably the only broadcaster where they haven’t changed the playlist to a dirge. But it is the same old songs, so perhaps even the dirge might have been a good change. And the two minutes later back from half time happened again.

Six minutes into the second half and we concede a free kick towards the right-hand edge of the penalty area. The wall is lined up, and for the third time this season the free kick sails over the wall and into the top corner of the net. 2-2. For fuck’s sake, stop conceding free kicks on the edge of the area, it’s almost as good as a penalty to the opposing teams.

Ten minutes into the half and there is a Crawley break, Tom Nichols pings the ball across to Nick Tsaroulla, who cuts inside and takes a shot from outside the area which flies into the bottom corner and it’s 3-2. With thirty-five minutes to hold out.

Straight from the restart Stockport attack and get the ball into the box and their shot is very well saved by Corey Addai, and there is a deep sigh of relief from three sides of the ground.

Halfway through the half, ball number two is hoofed over the east stand by Tony Craig. It’s quite possible that one landed somewhere in the grounds of Thomas Bennett. The ref seems quite hot on potential time wasting (as well as blowing his whistle if any of the Stockport players fall over). So much so he was literally pushing Crawley players off the pitch when they were getting substituted (and he booked Corey Addai in Injury Time).

Speaking of Stockport players falling over, it must be because they are top heavy. I’ve never seen such a collection of barrel-chested freaks playing for one team at the same time. They must all be putting in extra time in the gym when it’s chest day.

Five minutes before the end of normal time, ball three is out over the east stand. It’s Tony Craig again, but not with as much force as the previous one.

The crowd is announced as 2,187 with 376 away fans, not a bad effort to get down from Manchester on a Tuesday night. The sponsor’s man of the match is Ludwig Francillette. WTAF? I’m assuming they spent most of their time at the hospitality bar and not watching the game.

The board goes up and the announcement is made and it’s six minutes, Doug E Fresh you’re on. No, sorry, it’s six minutes of injury time not Doug E Fresh. We are defending deep in injury time. If we get much deeper, we’d be at the bottom of the Marianas Trench.

The full-time whistle goes, and it is a Crawley victory. 3-2. And a Tom Nichols hat-trick of assists. The win takes us up to the dizzy heights of 20th, only a point and two places behind Stockport now. Let’s hope we can keep it going when we travel to play Crewe Alexandra on Saturday.

Come on you reds.