Crawley Town are back not with a bang, but a whimper - opinion

After an absence of nearly six months Crawley Town were back in action in a competitive game.
John Yems was disappointed in his post match interviewJohn Yems was disappointed in his post match interview
John Yems was disappointed in his post match interview

If their fans had been excited by the prospect then the opener would have punctured their dreams. For many, including me, it wasn’t simply a disappointment it was very nearly an unmitigated disaster.

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That was not anything to do with the match against Millwall. With spectators still banned from grounds I had no option but to invest in the EFL’s iFollow coverage.

That was enough in itself to worry a technophobe like me but I took the plunge, invested my money and then the cursed thing didn’t work! There were 28 minutes on the clock before the video feed worked for me and the Reds already trailed.

Soon after I joined the party Jordan Tunnicliffe conceded a sloppy own goal only for debutant Sam Ashford to reduce the arrears little more than a minute later. I hoped then to enjoy a comeback but with Crawley Town lacking any attacking impetus the EFL Cup tie petered out into an embarrassing 3-1 defeat.

Manager John Yems seemingly shared my feelings if his terse post match interview was anything to go by as he struggled to find any good words to say about his team.

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I understand his manner upset some supporters but he is a genuine heart on his sleeve guy and he must have found it difficult to avoid industrial language.

Unfortunately some of the problems were of his own making.

Starting with four centre backs was a new one on me. Defensively Crawley were a shambles with only new signing Tony Craig looking vaguely competent while Joe McNerney suffered a ‘mare. The defensive midfield looked OK but there was no creativity ahead of them. Upfront Ashley Nadesan looked the traditional square peg in an unaccustomed role leading the line.

Scorer Ashford looked to be the only worthwhile signing but then he was strangely withdrawn and our limited threat was blunted even more. On this showing the club has not gained anything during the transfer window but what they have lost was abundantly clear.

Although the commentators respectfully praised Millwall, the Championship side did not appear to have much about them and wayward finishing cost them a huge win. Crawley Town looked a shadow of the team that fought so valiantly at the end of the abandoned season.

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There were a number of absentees whose abilities are well known but as usual the club has been reticent about keeping their supporters informed of their situation other than the slight injury affecting new club skipper George Francomb. The concern is that there may be more departures in the next month and that would not make life any easier for the management.

Last night’s EFL Trophy game at Gillingham may have been unexpectedly significant.

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