League Two’s reigning Champions and play-off winners go head-to-head in League One this weekend, as County travel to Crawley Town looking to continue their unbeaten start in the third tier.
Despite falling behind at Mansfield two weeks ago, through the first and only goal we’ve have conceded in the league so far this season, a Kyle Wootton header rescued us a point at the One Call Stadium, leaving us top of League One with ten points from our opening four games of the campaign.
Dave Challinor’s side followed that up with a convincing 4-1 win away at Accrington Stanley in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, but were not in action last weekend as our game at home to Reading was called off due to international call-ups.
As a result, Wrexham have since moved above us at the top of the table following their 3-0 win against rivals, Shrewsbury Town last Saturday. The Welsh side are not in action until Monday this weekend, however, as they travel to Birmingham City, meaning a big win at Broadfield Stadium could see County return to the summit.
Opponents, Crawley also saw their fixture, away at Burton Albion, called off last weekend due to international commitments, with their last game coming at home to Barnsley two weeks ago. The Red Devils were beaten 3-0 that day, with all three goals coming in the first-half. That result leaves them 12th in the table heading into the weekend, with six points from four games.
Our Opponents:
Tipped by many to be in a relegation battle last season after a narrow escape in 2023, Scott Lindsey’s Crawley Town defied all odds to secure a top seven finish in League Two, before going all the way to secure promotion in their first ever game at Wembley Stadium in May.
Even as late as February, the Red Devils had found themselves down in 15th place following a run of three straight defeats, seven points shy of the play-off places with 15 games left to play.
Despite that dip in form, Lindsey’s side stuck to a style of play that saw them dominate possession in-game, whilst playing open and expansive football out from the back through the now County goalkeeper, Corey Addai.
Those principles of play eventually bore fruit, as they embarked on a brilliant run of seven wins in ten games that culminated in a 4-1 win away at promotion chasing Mansfield Town, catapulting them back into the top seven and helping them to secure a play-off spot on the final day of the season. They won 21 of their 46 league games, ten more than they managed the previous year when finishing 22nd.
Having secured that play-off spot, the West Sussex side never looked back. An in-form MK Dons side were blown away in the semi-final as Crawley triumphed 8-1 over the two legs, recording the biggest aggregate win in play-off history after winning 3-0 at home and 5-1 away at Stadium MK.
A dominant performance in the final against Crewe saw them win 2-0 through goals from Liam Kelly and Danilo Orsi, securing a return to League One for the first time since 2015.
Once again, the Red Devils have been tipped for a season of struggle after losing a number of key players over the Summer months. Alongside Addai’s move to Edgeley Park, Orsi has joined Burton Albion, Greek midfielder Klaidi Lolos has signed for Bolton, whilst Kelly and centre-half Laurence Maguire have both moved to MK Dons.
When you add into that the losses of Josh Kelly, Kellan Gordon, Adam Campbell and Will Wright, only two of the players who started for Crawley at Wembley back in May are still playing at Broadfield Stadium, in a remarkable turnover over the Summer.
The Club have searched far and wide to replace those outgoings, with signings ranging from the National League South all the way through to the Tanzanian Premier League.
Former Hibs goalkeeper Joe Wollacott has been brought in to replace Addai, whilst former Swindon Town forward Rushian Hepburn-Murphy has led the line up front so far – although he is set to be joined by former Mansfield Town striker Will Swan, who joined the club on deadline day.
Midfielder Gavan Holohan, so often the scourge of County in the past, has joined from Grimsby but has yet to feature, whilst there is a lot of excitement about Nigerian international Benjamin Tanimu following his move from Singida Black Stars. The 22-year-old defender joined late in the window and is still waiting for his Crawley debut.
Despite that upheaval, Crawley have once again been upsetting the odds in the opening few weeks of the season, winning 2-1 at home to Blackpool on opening day, before following that up with wins over Swindon Town in the cup and Cambridge United in the league.
That form has tailed off in recent weeks, with defeats to Wigan Athletic, Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup and last time out at home to Barnsley. They have continued to dominate on the ball, managing 77% possession against Barnsley but without managing a single shot in the entire game.
They go into Saturday looking to return to winning ways after the international break – knowing that every point they pick up this season will provide more food for thought for their pre-season critics.
Match Stats:
- This will be just the fifth competitive meeting between the two sides, with the other four encounters all coming over the last two seasons. Both teams have won one game each, with both games last season ending in a draw.
- County will be looking to go five games unbeaten at the start of an EFL season for the first time since 1993, under Danny Bergara. County lost just one of their first 15 league games that season, winning 11 of them, and eventually finished in 4th.
- Kyle Wootton has either scored or assisted in each of our four league games this season, recording three goals and two assists so far.
