Fan's View: Mansfield trip proved as good as LA or Las Vegas

Having been in LA, Las Vegas and San Francisco over the past week, you would think a former mill town in Nottinghamshire would be a bit of a comedown.

But it was absolutely delightful. The sun was shining, the beer was flowing and the 150 Crawley fans that made the long trip north were in fine voice.

The only concern pre-match was the news that reserve ‘keeper Yusuf Mersin was to start in place of regular number one Glenn Morris.

But we needn’t of worried as the one-time million pound goalkeeper was outstanding, along with Josh Yorwerth he was my man of the match.

On-loan Charlton Athletic sensation Karlan Ahearne-Grant signed off with yet another Reds goal.

I’m sure it won’t be too long before we see him on Match Of The Day plying his trade in the Premier League.

This kid has been an absolute godsend to our squad and is surely destined for a higher level.

A point was certainly a fair reflection of the game, despite captain Jimmy Smith having a golden opportunity to double our lead midway through the second half.

The result meant we finished 14th in League Two, which is our best placed finish since relegation from League One in 2015.

We actually accumulated 31 points on the road this season, which is only five short of the 36 points we gained when we last won promotion.

It shows just how much our home form has cost us. Just a few of those draws turning into wins could have put us right up there.

With the league campaign now over, we turn our attentions to this Wednesday’s Amex showdown and a repeat of last season’s Sussex Cup Final against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Let’s just hope the players have learnt their lessons from last season’s poor showing and reward the travelling Reds fans with lifting a first Sussex Cup since 2005.