Crawley Town boss on new signing, Lubala leaving and signing more players

Crawley Town boss John Yems believes new signing Jake Hessenthaler will bring the side 'a lot of energy'.
Jake Hessenthaler during his time at GrimsbyJake Hessenthaler during his time at Grimsby
Jake Hessenthaler during his time at Grimsby

The former Grimsby Town midfielder was announced as a Reds player yesterday (Tuesday), following the news Bez Lubala has signed for Blackpool.

Hessenthaler played 35 times last season for Grimsby and scored one goal, against Crawley Town. Yems believes he can add energy to an already strong midfield.

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He said: “I’ve known Jake since I worked with him at Gillingham, and I know the family very well. He’ll bring us a lot of energy, he’s good on the ball and I think he’ll compliment all the other players we’ve got in the squad."

Hessenthaler was named in the WhoScored.com League Two team of the season with an average match rating of 7.04 last season, and he describes himself as a 'central midfielder who likes to get on the ball but likes to do the other side of the game.

'(I’m) predominantly a sitter but I can play box to box, I’m not really known for my scoring, but I’m more of an energetic, hardworking, combative midfield player'.

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With just over a month left of the transfer window, Yems isn’t ruling out signing more players, saying: “You’re always looking but we’ll see how it goes”.

Hessenthaler will go straight into the playing squad and is available for Crawley’s Carabao Cup game against Millwall this Saturday.

Lubala was Crawley’s second highest goal scorer last season, and his excellent performances with the Reds have earned him a move to League One side Blackpool, and Crawley manager John Yems believes he’s earned his move to the Seasiders.

He said: "When I was here, and for the time I was here with Bez, he was very good to work with, a good lad and he deserves his chance so I wish him all the best”.

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Lubala scored 13 goals for Crawley in all competitions, including the winning goal against Norwich City in the Carabao Cup last season, and thanked Crawley in a statement released on Twitter: “I’d like to say a massive thank you to my teammates, the staff in and around the club and the manager for helping me throughout my time at Crawley. Most importantly I’d like to thank the fans and supporters who have been with me since the start”.