Fan's View: We now need to build on a successful season

I think the final evaluation would be one of achieved stability with room for improvement.

The very fact we secured our safety with a month to play was down to a brilliant run of form back in January and early February where we won seven out of eight league games.

A midtable finish was all that was required at the start of the season, Harry Kewell and Warren Feeney have delivered that. To build on this we need to push on again now next season.

Young Crawley Town fan Jack Kingsnorth leading the singing at the Amex last week. Picture by Steve Herbert SUS-180514-100928002

The club is craving for a decent cup run which would not only bring in some extra money but give the attendance figures a boost too.

Last Wednesday night’s Sussex Cup final at the Amex pretty much summed up our end of season luck.

For 82 minutes we looked to have the trophy in the bag. But then disaster struck. So near, yet so far.

It was a disappointment that we could only muster a squad of 13 players for the game and two of them were goalkeepers!

The fans who travelled were an absolute credit to the club. The singing not just at the game but on the train home made the night an enjoyable one, despite defeat.

One fan in particular, Jack Kingsnorth, 18, led the chants all evening, it’s great to see the younger generation of fans come to the fore.

Having listened to Harry’s post-match Amex interviews, it was quite clear that two things were very evident as to what needs to happen this summer. One is player recruitment.

I really hope HK gets the backing from our owners to sign the players he’s identified. Otherwise, what’s the point of appointing an ambitious young manager and not giving him the tools to carry out the job?

Secondly, and this has been a major problem for years now, but the lack of a permanent training ground continues to handicap the club.

We continue to miss out on players because we don’t have the facilities that we can call our own. The sight of the Mayor at the end the season awards was hopefully indication that the club are working hard with Crawley Borough Council to address this very issue.