Taste of the Terrace: Never take anything for granted watching Crawley Town

Never take anything for granted when watching Crawley Town as they have a great capacity to baffle even the most regular of watchers.
Josh Payne gets stuck in against Exeter City. Picture by Jon RigbyJosh Payne gets stuck in against Exeter City. Picture by Jon Rigby
Josh Payne gets stuck in against Exeter City. Picture by Jon Rigby

Tuesday evening was a case in point as high flyers Exeter City discovered (as had Luton Town a month previously) that when Crawley play to their potential they are more than a match for anyone in the division.

Following Reds’ second half collapse at Wycombe, Harry Kewell was looking for a positive reaction and he got it in spades.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

As with the match against The Hatters, every man fully played his part. There were no weak links and some of their football was scintillating. The difference was that this time Crawley got the three points they wholeheartedly deserved.

It hadn’t always looked that way. It took Reds about ten minutes to get the measure of the opposition and then Thomas Verheydt should have and Josh Yorwerth probably could have given them the lead. Then Dean Moxey profited from a mishit shot by Reuben Reid to give The Grecians the lead against the run of play.

One chance and one goal for Exeter suggested the gods were not with us again but a penalty award when Yorwerth was bundled over changed all that. The impressive Josh Payne swept home the spot kick and the interval found the sparse crowd in an optimistic frame of mind.

The second period more than fulfilled that expectancy. Verheydt had looked a lot quicker and more agile than previously but he was replaced by Jordan Roberts after less than ten minutes. Just seven minutes after arriving Roberts earned himself the “supersub” tag popping up in the right place at the far post to give Reds the lead as he tucked away a deflected low cross by Cedric Evina.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Now the stadium was in ferment as Crawley strove to extend their lead and secure the three invaluable points. Several near things went unrewarded with the sparkling Enzio Boldewijn especially deserving some reward for his unstinting efforts.

Exeter’s scorer, Moxey, was in the thick of things and he kept his side in the game as he headed a Yorwerth effort off the line. Then he became one of The Grecians five bookings on the night by upending Roberts just outside of the right side corner of the penalty area.

The Crawley man extracted revenge in absolutely superb style by curling the twenty yard free kick around the wall and in at the near post leaving keeper Christy Pym helpless.

The points slightly eased Crawley’s uncertain position near the foot of the table and the key for the managers will be whether they can maintain that sort of form in the next few games. Saturday’s visit to Coventry City will be another tough match but the Midlands club’s form has also been inconsistent. The proverbial ball, however, will be firmly in the Reds’ court.

Related topics: