Six things we learnt from Crawley Town's pre-season friendly win over East Grinstead Town

Second half goals from Nick Tsaroulla and Florian Kastrati gave Scott Lindsey’s men the win in what was a good work out for the Reds.

But what did we learn from the win? Here are six things we noticed.

Pre-season will be different this year

Last season Crawley romped to 9-0 win at East Grinstead – with five goals from Moe Shubbar (remember him!) - followed up by a 5-0 win over Three Bridges. Although this year’s trip to East Court could have seen more goals, it was clear it was not about scoring as many as possible. It was about the process, the formation and the individuals. Seeing ten of the first half XI being potential first teamers was a sign Lindsey is taking this pre-season very seriously and they will be ready come August 5 against Bradford City.

An exciting forward line

In the first half, we got a glimpse of what could be this season. The forward line of Dom Telford, Danilo Orsi, Harry Forster and Ashley Nadesan could be a force to be reckoned with in League Two this season. When the Reds signed Forster, Lindsey said he will get fans off their seats and on Tuesday he showed glimpses of that. Telford desperately needed a partner up top last season and in Orsi it looks like Lindsey could have found that. The partnership needs time to gel and it looked as if they were still trying to make friends with choosing to pass rather than being ruthless and shooting at East Grinstead, but that is what pre-season is for. But Nadesan and Forster on the wings could frighten a few full backs this year.

Addai to be No. 1

Barring any disasters or David De Gea coming in, Corey Addai looks to be Lindsey’s goalkeeper for this season. He played in the first 45 minutes and looked assured, carrying on the confidence from the performances at the end of last season. Roshan Greensall played in the second half and looked ok, but he lacks the presence and confidence of Addai. Lindsey has said he wants three keepers in the squad and Luca Ashby-Hammond was at the game, warming up last night. The 22-year-old former England u20 keeper is currently with Fulham and a loan move could be on the cards to push Addai and Greensall. But as it stands, Addai will be number one.

Decent triallists

Last pre-season, we saw a lot of triallists go in and out during pre-season, last night we saw a few. In the first half there was one, and it was a recognisable face in Anthony Grant. He has been training with the Reds despite being released after his short contract. We saw more in the second half. Former Leyton Orient striker Sonny Fish looked busy and was a handful and there was an assured performance from a young centre back rumoured to be from Arsenal youth, but the one who caught the eye was Ade Adeyemo. The striker forced a couple of brilliant saves from the home keeper. He looked sharp and comfortable with both feet. One to keep an eye on. Lindsey said after we should expect to same triallists against Three Bridges with the addition of maybe one.

Jack Powell replacement

With Jack Powell leaving for Crewe, Lindsey will need someone comfortable on the ball and be able to find that killer pass. And from the initial 45 minutes, Liam Kelly looks like that man. The diminutive midfielder looked assured on the ball and linked up attack and defence. There was nothing fancy, he got the ball and got rid of it quickly with a simple pass. He took the corners as well and looked to have a good delivery. Good early signs.

Nick Tsaroulla special

When you are looking for a goal, there’s only one man to turn to – Nick Tsaroulla. As soon as he gets the ball on the edge of the area, he and every fan in the ground are only thinking one thing. And again at East Grinstead he produced. Along with Joel Lynch, he was the most experienced player in the second half XI – and it showed. He ran the show down the left and gave the EG full back a torrid time. Depending on what formation Lindsey plays – if Tsaroulla and Forster are on that left, watch out League Two full backs.