Matt Pole is joined by Crawley Town expert Mark Dunford, and Sam Morton, who also cover the Reds.
Kamari Doyle's first-half goal gave Scott Lindsey a winning start on his return as Crawley manager as they beat fellow strugglers Bristol Rovers.
We look back at that draw at that fantastic win over the Pirates, and Scott Lindsey's return
Kamari Doyle's first-half goal gave Scott Lindsey a winning start on his return as Crawley manager as they beat fellow strugglers Bristol Rovers.
We look back at that draw at that fantastic win over the Pirates, and Scott Lindsey's return
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SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome to a special Crawley Town episode of the Goalmouth Action Podcast, where we
00:06will take a look at all the latest goings on at the Broadfield Stadium. I'm Matt Pole
00:10and this week I'm joined by Crawley Town experts Mark Dunford and Sam Morton. Kamari Doyle's
00:15first-half goal gave Scott Lindsay a winning start on his return as Corney manager, as
00:19they beat fellow strugglers Bristol Rovers on Saturday. We'll look back at that fantastic
00:23win over the Pirates, plus we'll bring you the latest injury news as the Reds gear up
00:26to take on Rotherham and Peterborough in League 1 this week. You can read all the stories
00:30we are talking about with videos and pictures online at sussexworld.co.uk forward slash
00:34sport and you can check out other great videos on shotstv.com and Treeview channel 262. You
00:39may also be watching on latest TV, so thank you very much for tuning in, but we will start
00:43late on Thursday night when Crawley Town appointed Lindsay as their manager for a second spell
00:48on a deal until June 2028. Safe to say not many people predicted his return to the Broadfield
00:53Stadium, Mark, yourself included. What was the general reaction and what was the forwards
00:58reaction? I noticed you're donning a hat especially for the occasion. Yeah, because I stupidly
01:03said I would eat my hat if Scott Lindsay returned. Yeah, it was just a massive surprise, wasn't
01:10it? Even during the day when Scott Lindsay was clear favourite with the bookies, there
01:15were plenty of people, including myself, was like, this isn't going to happen, surely.
01:20Yeah, and yeah, the one guy said he was going to get a tattoo on his leg of Preston Johnson's
01:24beard if Scott Lindsay came back. So we're looking forward to that happening. I imagine
01:28that's more likely than me actually eating a sack. But yeah, no, the reaction was great
01:34because it was midnight when it was announced. Luckily, I was up and I had a little bit of
01:39notice that something was happening. So I stayed up, got the story up and yeah, the reaction
01:45was incredible. It was just the Messiah's coming home. Christmas has come early. I can't sleep now.
01:51Pinch me, is this real? What a dream sort of thing. There are a few people that put on there about
01:56the negotiations must have been very interesting because obviously I've intimated before that
02:02I don't think the relationship between Scott and a couple of the owners was particularly good.
02:07But who knows what's going to happen there with that. But yes, yeah, just an incredible
02:13turnaround, really. I mean, what was he was he left in September, became MK Don's manager
02:19in October, was sacked by MK Don's in March, beginning of March and then end of March he's
02:26back. So within six months, he's back as Crawley Town manager. So incredible, really. Yeah, it
02:32shocked me. It shocked a lot of people, but ultimately very, very good news, I think, for the club.
02:37Yeah, absolutely. No sooner had he got through the door, he was talking to our very own Mark Dunford,
02:41wasn't he? What did he have to say about his return, Mark? And overall, he was sounding like
02:45he was saying all the right things on his return. He was. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. I just thought
02:51the first question was the obvious question. How does it feel to be back? And he's just like,
02:55it just feels like home to me. And he was really pleased to get it done and get to work. And yeah,
03:00it's interesting because normally when you get a new manager in, you normally have there,
03:03they'll be sitting in the stands on the first game, let somebody oversee the next game. But
03:07he wanted to get straight to work. So he was familiarising himself with all the players
03:11straight away. And on Friday morning, he was in training at Free Bridges at the Jubilee Ground.
03:16And yeah, he just he was absolutely buzzing. I don't think we've seen as much of Scott Lindsay's
03:24teeth as we did in that interview because he was just smiling so much all the way through.
03:29And yeah, it was. Yeah, just he he he wants the fans on side. He wants everybody at the club to
03:36get together. He just he just says the right things. He's a he's a he's a pro. He knows
03:41exactly what he's doing. He knows exactly what he's saying. And he said all the right things
03:46in that first interview. And yeah, the and you fell when we're going to come on to Saturday,
03:51but the buzz you felt around the ground on Saturday, even beforehand, I got there about
03:54two and a half hours before because I wanted to speak to some fans. And there were loads of fans
03:58there already. And I just soon as you said, can I talk to you about Scott Lindsay? Yes, please.
04:02Yeah. And they wanted to be on camera. And yes, I was really interesting just to
04:07see just the buzz, just that one bit of news is made for this club because it was in the
04:13doldrums. It was all doom and gloom. And but now now there's there's a little bit of hope again,
04:20which is incredible, really. Yeah, we'll come on to that a little bit later on the podcast. But
04:24obviously he's it's been positive news on the pitch. But as a journalist, Mark, does it make
04:29it easier for you having Lindsay returners and you already have that relationship with him,
04:33don't you? It's not kind of like a finding out period. Does it make your your job easier that
04:37he's returned in a way that you know? It does. Yeah. I mean, when when he first came through the
04:43because I met him at the tunnel in the ground when we first interviewed him, he gave me a massive hug
04:47sort of thing. So it's like we've got we've got a good relationship. And the fans have said to me
04:52before when sitting there, I love your interviews with Scott. You've clearly got something between
04:56you kind of thing. And so, yeah, I mean, he knows I'm going to ask some tough questions at times,
05:01but he knows he can have a laugh with me. He knows he can trust me. And yeah, and he and I know I can
05:05get some good stuff out of him. I mean, Rob Elliott was great. Rob Elliott was lovely, really good to
05:10deal with. But I never felt I got over that barrier of journalist manager kind of thing with
05:17Scott is slightly different. Still, there's that journalist barrier. There's things he won't tell
05:20me. There's things he will tell me. But it's yeah, it's it does feel good. And like you say,
05:27if you get a new manager in, if they've gone down the road or another brand new manager,
05:31it's another four or five months of getting to know someone, know what makes them tick,
05:36know what annoys them and trying to work out what questions to ask at what times.
05:41I was still doing that with Rob Elliott. I mean, Rob Elliott was great. He answered every question
05:45I ever asked him. He never sort of balked or hit back at anything or questioned anything I said.
05:49But I never got I never got those really amazing sound bites that, you know, you're going to get
05:54from Scott Lindsay. So hopefully there'll be more of that to come. Yes, fingers crossed.
05:59Well, Lindsay was set by MK Dons on the 2nd of March, Mark mentioned, sorry, after just five
06:04months in charge, having lost 11 of 16 matches and picking up only nine points for a possible 48,
06:10which saw the Dons drop to 17th in the League Two table. On paper, Sam, it sounds like it wasn't a
06:15particularly great move for Lindsay. But what did he have to say about his time at MK Dons? And
06:20did he view the move to Buckinghamshire as maybe as a mistake in hindsight?
06:24He didn't actually, at least that's not what he said in his interview about it. He said his
06:29experience at MK Dons has made him a better manager and he sees it as a big learning period.
06:34So no, he doesn't see it as a mistake, a big learning period for him. He had his reasons why
06:39he left Crawley, which he didn't want to discuss, but obviously he's seen the past and he felt it
06:45was the right thing for him at the time. He asked if it was obviously a question if it was the right
06:49in the long run, probably not. But he does think he's a better manager from it and he reflects
06:54really well on his experience at MK Dons and he hopes that it will make him a better manager going
06:58forward. So he said probably it didn't work out as well as he'd hoped, of course. But yeah, so I
07:04think it does sound like he's delighted to be back at Crawley with another feather under his cap,
07:09a bit more experience. Obviously, MK Dons has been a huge club and big stature and obviously,
07:15as I say, it didn't work out for him. But he does seem to not have too many regrets,
07:20which is good. And obviously, just greatly back at Crawley where he belongs.
07:25Absolutely. Mark, I'd be interested to know whether a return to Crawley was always on the
07:28cards for Lindsay after his departure. Did he intimate as to whether he spoke to any other
07:32clubs before he decided to come back to the Broadfield stadium?
07:35Yeah, he did. He said he spoke to another club in League One and he spoke to a club in League
07:41Two as well. And then once Rob Elliott had gone, he said Crawley Town got in touch with him.
07:50And yeah, and he said it was a process that happened really quickly and he just had to
07:54make a decision. And he said it was a really easy decision in the end of the day. And he said people
08:00say never go back to where you were successful. But I just don't read into any of that. I just
08:04feel at home here. I love this club. So, yeah, I mean, even though it didn't work out at MK Don's,
08:09but you look at MK Don's track record, they've got a massive stadium, massive budget,
08:14but they're just not successful. And you have to look at, they will have to look at themselves and
08:18say, we've got a manager like Scott Lindsay. Have we given him enough time? I mean, it was funny,
08:23me and Scott were chatting. I don't think it was on camera. I think it was off camera about
08:28giving managers time. Because if you look at the top, I think it was the top seven in League Two
08:33this season. Two of them have been in the job for just about a year, maybe less than a year.
08:38But the other five have been in the job for about two or three years. And he says, it just shows you
08:43give people time, they can build something. And I mean, Scott Lindsay built something incredible
08:49in a very short amount of time at Crawley in less than two years. But hopefully, because he's got a
08:53three-year contract now, hopefully he can do the same. Because we'll get on to whether they're
08:58going to stay up or go down. But if they go down, there's optimism now. And if he's given time,
09:04and we know he can do it in League Two with Crawley Town, and he should be able to do it again,
09:08but it's about giving players time. So I think probably MK Dons need to look at themselves and
09:11how they, what their ambitions are, because it just doesn't seem to work with any manager they
09:19bring in. So yeah, but yeah, he's glad to be back. But yeah, I'm glad he chose Crawley Town
09:26and didn't go to this other League One or League Two club. Yeah, absolutely. I agree with you there,
09:30Mark. I don't know what a manager is expected to do in five months in charge and then get in the
09:34boot. So yeah, hopefully MK Dons' mistake is Crawley's gain. But off the pitch, tensions have
09:40been high between red supporters and owners Wagney United. There are reports of a confrontation
09:45in the West End between a fan and sporting director Tobias Phoenix during the Cambridge game,
09:49while former supporters director Sam Jordan made revelations about Wagney's behind-the-scenes
09:54decision-making on a podcast. Mark, well, Lindsay can certainly make an impact with on-pitch
09:59development. Is there a hope that his return will bridge the gap between the fans and the owners of
10:03what's been an incredibly fractious period for the club by their standards as well? Yeah, and I think
10:10he sees it as his responsibility to do that as well. I asked, I said, do you feel like you've
10:15got to bridge that gap between the owners and the fans? And he said, yes, absolutely.
10:20But he knows, as well as everyone else does, it's all about results. So
10:24the main thing he can affect is what happens on the pitch. If he can win, then it's a massive
10:29distraction. I mean, the appointment of Lindsay itself was a distraction and everybody forgot
10:33about Wagney on Saturday, didn't they? Yes. But yeah, as long as he's winning on the pitch,
10:40everybody's just going to care about that and they won't care. And they think, oh,
10:43the owner's appointed Lindsay. Oh, great. And then everything's forgotten again. And
10:47we've discussed it so many times last year. You didn't hear from Wagney or you didn't hear any
10:51comments about Wagney in that last three or four months because Crawley were winning. They got to
10:56Wembley and they won. Yes, it was all about Scott Lindsay. But I mean, yeah, nobody heard from
11:03Wagney and that's how everybody liked it. And I think hopefully that's what's going to happen
11:07again. But he knows. He said he's got to get his tactics spot on. He will make mistakes,
11:14but they've got to stay connected. Everybody at the club has got to stay connected and the owners
11:18are a part of that. They're a big part of that, he said. So we need to bring everybody together
11:23or I have to. So I'm sure he is going to really sort of bang that drum of just get behind everyone
11:29at the club, support the club and then only positive things can happen from there.
11:34Yeah, watch this space. We will take a short break now, but stay tuned as we will discuss
11:38Saturday's vital win over Bristol Rovers and preview Crawley's upcoming games against Rotherham
11:43and Peterborough respectively. Welcome back to part two and Scott Lindsay crowned his Crawley
11:48Town return with a vital 1-0 win over Bristol Rovers at a rocking Brawlfield Stadium on Saturday.
11:54His side went ahead of the 19th minute when a strong run from Russian Hepburn Murphy
11:57set up Kamari Doyle 12 yards from goal and he finished past helpless goalkeeper Jed Ward.
12:03Jed Ward, greatest name in the world. Jed Ward. Yeah. Sorry, carry on.
12:08No, I was just going to say it sounds like it was chalk and cheese from last week.
12:12What did you make of the performance?
12:14Oh, it was it was just different. I know Sam's going to come on to how it was different, but
12:20it was they just on the attack from the front foot straight away. And in the first half,
12:23they probably should have been three or four nil up. Kamari Doyle scored really good goal. I mean,
12:28but it was all about Russian Hepburn Murphy's assist. If anyone hasn't seen that yet.
12:33Incredible. I showed my son very quickly off topic the assist and I said, look at this assist. And
12:39all he saw was the final pass. He said, oh, it was a bit of a heavy touch from him. And this
12:44part was a bit lucky. I said, no, don't look at that bit. The bit where he got the ball on the
12:49blimmin' far side of the pitch about in his own half and then skipped past three or four people.
12:54Anyway, but yeah, it was a really good. And then I think it was minutes later, Doyle had another
12:59similar chance where he hit the side netting and you just thought, oh, God, two nil. It would have
13:03just been absolutely rocking. But yeah, Lindsay, you got a brilliant, brilliant welcome. I mean,
13:09I'm assuming it was a hero's hero's welcome, wasn't it, Mr. Lindsay?
13:14The anticipation for it. I could see all the photographers all lined up waiting for him to
13:18come out, people with their phones and everything. And there was a real buzz around the ground.
13:23And yeah. And Dylan, the pitch announcer, I've never heard him so enthusiastic when he was
13:30your hero has returned sort of thing and all that. And he came out on the pitch and it was
13:35and you could tell Scott was emotional and he said after the game that he was a little bit
13:39he had to hold it back because he knew he had to focus on the game kind of thing.
13:42But you could tell it was there was a lot of emotion there from him and everybody in the
13:45ground. And it was great. But it was yeah, it was a really good performance. I mean,
13:50Bristol Rovers weren't very good, but and they were obviously a team right on the on the decline.
13:56But yeah, Crawley took advantage of that. And it was good to get a new manager bounce in this game
14:01particularly. So it was a good job. Lindsay did get straight back into action rather than letting
14:05someone else do this game and then be ahead for this for the next things. But the atmosphere
14:10throughout the whole game was brilliant. And obviously the fist pump at the end with the
14:14celebrations was great. I skipped onto the pitch to film that close up and it was intense. And
14:19yeah, you could feel everybody was just loving, loving life at Crawley's Hound on Saturday.
14:25Yes, absolutely. And you mentioned pictures, great set of pictures from Natalie Mayhew that
14:28I saw online, Mark, I think from the game. Yeah, Natalie was back, first game back for a while.
14:33So it was really good. I think she really wanted to be there for Scott's return.
14:36So, yeah, well done, Natalie. It was, yeah, some brilliant, brilliant pictures.
14:40And hopefully I think she's there for the next home game as well. So I hope so.
14:44Yes, absolutely. Great to have her back as well. Well, as we mentioned, Crawley's performance
14:49against the Gas was in stark contrast to their display at Huddersfield a week earlier, where
14:52they were 5-1 in what proved to be Rob Elliott's final game in charge of the Reds. Sam, what was
14:57the main difference in the performance from last week? And what does a Scott-Lindsay team look like
15:02compared to a Rob Elliott team? How is the set-up different in your view?
15:07Yeah, well, it was a funny one, obviously, because Scott-Lindsay didn't have much time to
15:10kind of get tactics sorted for the game. She was obviously there a day before and then somebody's
15:15obviously in charge of a match. So I thought a lot of it was probably down to the emotion and
15:20just the pure feel-good atmosphere that was in the stadium, that kind of transferred over to
15:23the players really. And there was just a real kind of togetherness you just felt. And there was so
15:29much more intensity. They wanted to get up the pitch quicker. The formation wasn't actually too
15:33much different, but just crucially, the players seemed to have much more belief. And they were
15:37actually exciting to watch again, which we haven't really been able to say this season. There's been
15:41some really, really dour performances and some real kind of hard-to-watch football at times and
15:48obviously some dreadful results to come with that as well. But I just felt like there was just so
15:52much more belief in the players really. They kind of had a purpose with their play, especially
15:57as we've mentioned with Hepburn-Murphy. It just was everywhere, especially in that first half.
16:02And as mentioned, they were playing against the poor Bristol Rovers side that didn't offer much
16:05at all. But I just felt like Crawley nullified any threats that they had really solid defensively.
16:12Yeah, they looked more solid, didn't they?
16:13Yeah, they absolutely did.
16:17And the keeper made a difference as well, didn't he, I thought?
16:20Yeah, 100 per cent. I thought that was a really good performance. And they could have scored a
16:25few more goals, to be honest. You mentioned obviously that chance they had straight after
16:29the opening goal. Kamari Doyle could have had a brace in two minutes. But it was a really good
16:34performance. And the fact they were able to hold on to that 1-0 lead, because too often this season
16:38they've kind of collapsed after taking the lead and obviously have ended up losing. But they've
16:43never actually looked in danger of losing this one. So really positive and hopefully they can
16:47continue this form because obviously it's still a massive ask to avoid the drop.
16:52Post-match, Lindsay was insisting that Crawley were more or less in a false position in the league,
16:57revealing he had told his players they were better than they believed they were. Do you
17:01agree with his comments, Mark? And what were the other main talking points from Lindsay's
17:04post-match interview?
17:06Yeah, he just said he really enjoyed the game and just the whole day, basically. And I think,
17:13again, it's going back to him just saying the right things. And like last year, the laws of
17:16attraction, you tell a team consistently and constantly that they're going to get to the
17:22play-offs and they're going to get to the play-offs. And if you keep telling them they're
17:25going to win, they're going to win. And you sense that all he was saying was on Friday and in the
17:31pre-match meeting. And now I imagine he was just saying, yeah, we're going to win. I can't believe
17:37you are where you are. So you're going to win. You're really good players. You're going to win.
17:42And it seems like he has instilled that belief. And he just said they were clear on the detail
17:47on how we wanted to play and the players were excellent and went out and done it. I thought
17:50they were unlucky to not score more goals and they could have come two or three up,
17:54like we just said. And he was just really proud of them. And he also sort of mentioned because
17:59there was a little bit of a barrage at the end from Bristol Rovers getting balls into the box,
18:03desperate for them to get a goal. And he said afterwards that Charlie Barker needed some
18:07paracetamol afterwards for the amount of headers he won. So, yeah, he was just, you could tell he
18:14was just really pleased with how the players responded. And he said, yeah, and that quote,
18:18he said, I can't believe they are where they are. He said, I'm confused why they are at the table
18:24because they're such a good side. It was something that I asked him on the Friday. Actually, I forgot
18:28to mention earlier that I said, does he think the squad is stronger than it was when he left the
18:33club in October or September? And he said, yes, he thinks it is. And we're going to come on to
18:38Liam Fraser in a minute. I think Sam's going to talk about him. Yeah, the expert. He knows what
18:43he's on about. Yeah. And I like players like him because Liam Fraser was great on Saturday. He got
18:49a man of the match. And I think players like him, Kamari Doyle, who scored the Winnipeg,
18:54players he didn't have, they clearly strengthened that squad in his eyes. So, yeah, over to you.
19:01Yes. Well, speaking of Liam Fraser, what an excellent segue. He was named man of the match
19:05for his performance against Rovers, as Mark mentioned, and was full of praise for Lindsay
19:09at full time. Sam Mourne, if anyone's going to know, it's going to be you. What did the Canadian
19:13international have to say about Lindsay and the win over Bristol Rovers in general in his post-match
19:18interview? Yeah. So, as you mentioned, Fraser was man of the match. He joined in the January
19:24transfer window and he's obviously had a not the easiest start, obviously, with the form
19:29Crawley had been in. It's been difficult to kind of adjust to the new team and obviously
19:32been a lot of negativity around the club, which is never good to have when you're first at a
19:36new club. But with a real kind of feel-good atmosphere around, he really thrived in that
19:40kind of environment. He kind of really did control the game from midfield, really. And he says that
19:47his thinking aligns with Scott Lindsay, which is a really good sign as well. So he said they
19:51had a really good day of training to set us up for how they wanted to play and how they wanted
19:55to move forward. Obviously, all the lads are behind Scott and they're just looking forward
19:58to building off this win to go into next week, continue this momentum. He thinks a lot of the
20:02guys played with him in the first bell with the clubs. They kind of know what the expectations
20:06are from Scott. But for him, it's his first time and he just is really looking forward to kind of
20:12playing under him, really. He kind of wants to kind of play consistent football and is just
20:16enjoying his time at Crawley so far. And it's, yeah, it's really good to see. And I think he can
20:22be a real key part of any kind of success that Crawley can have in the remaining few weeks of
20:29the season, really. We kind of saw how important Linnean Kelly was under Scott Lindsay and how
20:33pivotal he was. You kind of wonder if he can maybe take that mantle up as that kind of real key
20:38midfield man that can kind of unlock defences and that kind of thing. So, yeah, really good,
20:43really good performance. I've been really impressed and the signs are positive.
20:47Absolutely, yes. Well, the Reds battling first win in nine games,
20:51leaves them nine points from safety. And the big question on everyone's lips is,
20:54can a rejuvenated Crawley Town under Scott Lindsay beat the drop? As things stand, Mark,
20:59how do you view things for the Reds in their bid to beat the drop?
21:05Yeah, it's still a big ask, isn't it? I mean, you look at Crawley's last few games,
21:10they've obviously got Robin Way Saturday, which is going to be tough,
21:13but new manager bounds. Rotherham are quite inconsistent, so they could probably sneak
21:17something there. Home to Peterborough, who, if they played them a couple of months ago,
21:21might have done, but I was chatting to Alan Swan from the Peterborough Telegraph,
21:24one of our sister titles, and he was saying they've got Poku back now, who was out for a while,
21:30and they've suddenly realised they're not too big to go down. So, they've really upped their
21:35game recently. So, that's going to be a tough game at home. And then Stevenage away late in
21:39the morning at home, they're two very, very tough games. Birmingham away, and then the last three
21:44games, Exeter at home, Northampton at home, and then Shrewsbury away. They're three games that
21:49Crawley could realistically get, should get nine points from. So, it's tough. It's just whether
21:56it's those away games at Rotherham, Stevenage and Birmingham that are tough. Lindsay said that they
22:01needed to win six or seven of their last nine games, and they've won one. So, if they can avoid,
22:07if they can get a win at Stevenage, Rotherham or Birmingham, and I think Rotherham is probably
22:11their more realistic opportunity to do that this Saturday, then that's where I think they can win
22:18it. But it's going to be, it's a big ask, isn't it? I mean, it's probably the change came a little
22:23bit too late, and that's what a lot of the fans were saying. The Elliott decision came a little
22:28bit too late. But Bristol Rovers didn't look very good. You look at their fixtures, I mean,
22:33they've got Bolton away, they've got Birmingham at home, they've got Exeter City, they've got
22:39Wrexham away. You just wonder where they're getting their next point, because they did not
22:43look very good at all. They just looked like a team even less confident than Crawley did the
22:46previous week. So, yeah, if they can get a win against Rotherham, if they can pick up three
22:52points this Saturday at Rotherham, I really can see that just lifting everything. And then three
22:58points against Peterborough, and then it is just positivity all the way, isn't it? It's just,
23:03it's very exciting. And I didn't think at that point I'd be excited about Crawley Town's last
23:08few fixtures. Well, no, we've been talking about them practically being dead and buried for weeks,
23:13haven't we, Sam? And Mark's kind of mentioned it there, and I was going to ask you this.
23:18It's great that Scott Lindsay's back, but have they kind of left it too late for him to work
23:23his magic? They potentially have. I think it is obviously a big ask, and I think if he does
23:29keep Crawley in the league, it would be a bigger achievement than getting promoted, I think.
23:34Absolutely, yes. It would be absolutely incredible. We said in the previous podcast before Scott came
23:39back in, I think I was asked the question, could they stay up? And I just said, no, it's not
23:42possible. But now Scott's back, and there's a little bit of positivity in it, and you kind of
23:48maybe they could. I mean, you've got to take one game at a time. They've started off perfectly,
23:53got the win against Bristol Rovers. They go to Rotherham, win that, then you can just kind of
23:59keep that momentum. We saw it last season, the momentum Crawley gained at the end of the season.
24:04You kind of felt they were going into every game knowing they'd win. I think if they manage to do
24:09that, string some wins together, suddenly that gap will reduce. And as you say, as Mark said,
24:15Bristol Rovers looked really poor, and you wonder where their next win's going to come from. So the
24:20stars could align, and it's just about just doing your own business and getting as many points on
24:25the board as they possibly can. But I think it all comes from positivity, because I feel like
24:32there's so much kind of feel-good atmosphere at the club at the moment, that can really kind of
24:35help them through it, more so than tactics or anything like that, really. And it's just about
24:38kind of that shared goal, and everyone knows what the aim is. And with Scott back, and all the fans
24:44are obviously buzzing about it, you never know. Miracles can happen.
24:48Yes, I was just going to mention, sorry, because obviously Northampton are on the same points as
24:53Bristol Rovers. So their last games, they've got a slightly easier run in than the rest. But
24:59if they don't pick up results, Crawley have got them the penultimate game of the season,
25:03and then Shrewsbury at last game of the season. Northampton could be dragged into it as well.
25:09Oh, it's exciting. I've got a buzz. I've got the Lindsay buzz.
25:14Well, if it keeps them up, it deserves the freedom of the town, as far as I'm concerned.
25:18Absolutely, yeah.
25:18An absolute miracle if it keeps them up. But yes, as we mentioned, Crawley's League
25:23One survival bid continues with a trip to Steve Evans' Rotherham United this Saturday,
25:27before a home clash with Peterborough United on Tuesday evening. Looking at the table,
25:31both sides mid-table, nothing to play for, Sam. I think the Reds just fancy their chances there,
25:37shouldn't they?
25:38Yeah, it's a difficult one, because obviously Rotherham are without a win in three games.
25:42Last time out, they lost 3-2 at home to Wiccan, which saw three stoppage time goals,
25:46so it's a very dramatic game. But they've actually only won two games since the start of February.
25:51So this one in particular is very much a game Crawley should be looking at as winnable,
25:56I think, even though it's away from home. Rotherham, as I say, not in the best form,
25:59and obviously not really under any kind of relegation threat, really. So I feel like,
26:04that should be a game they should go and really state their claim and get another three points.
26:11Peterborough, though, as Mark mentioned earlier, are in much better form. They're unbeaten in eight
26:15games in all competitions, four league wins included in that, and they beat Wrexham on
26:20penalties in the EFI Trophy. The last time out, though, was very impressive. They beat Charlton
26:263-0 at home. That was revenge for their one and only defeat since the 11th of February,
26:31which was also against Charlton. So when you consider that form, it goes to show how bad they
26:35must have been before that to be as low as 15. They were threatened at one point. They were in
26:42relegation trouble. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And just obviously nine points above the relegation zone
26:47still, but the same number of points between them and the relegation zone as Crawley have to make
26:52up to get out of it. So I think in that sense, Peterborough will be looking at this game as an
26:56important one as well. They've got to keep the momentum going, make sure there's no danger of
27:00any kind of complacency in terms of their form, because they could very easily be dragged back
27:04into it just as easily as Crawley could kind of drag themselves out. So it's a really tough game,
27:12but Crawley obviously have to go there. They have to go, obviously, at home, have to really be the
27:18team looking to assert themselves on it and to try and get the win, obviously. I think a lot
27:24will depend on how things go at Rotherham, because I think if they get two wins in a row, then
27:27suddenly you're home against Peterborough and they could get another really big win. So yeah,
27:32time will tell how it goes, but I thought, yeah, start with Rotherham, do one game at a time and
27:36see how it goes. Yes, absolutely. Before we move on to score predictions, Mark, very quickly,
27:40how do you see those two games? Yeah, they're games that I think, like Sam says,
27:46the Rotherham one, certainly it's a good time to play them. I think they've got nothing to play for,
27:51although you've got the Steve Evans element. I think he's the only other manager in the
27:55conversation of Crawley's greatest ever manager for what he achieves at the club. So two Crawley
28:01legends in the dugouts on Saturday and two fiery characters as well. So it could be interesting,
28:05especially Paul Rayner as well, Steve Evans' assistant. So that could be interesting to watch.
28:11But yeah, Crawley have got to be looking at six points from these two games. You've got to win
28:17your home games now. And I mean, even four points would be a good return from these two games,
28:23as long as they don't lose either. I think it's good because if you lose one game, you just think
28:28that's it now. But you never know. But Scott Lindsay keeps saying it's achievable as long
28:33as it's achievable. And when it's not, it's not. That's what he said to me. And he's absolutely
28:38right. You've just got to keep fighting till the very end. And under Lindsay, you know they will.
28:43Yes, I will temper expectations a little bit. But I think we said it was a good time to play
28:47Huddersfield, wasn't it, when they played them? And that didn't end well. But different, isn't it,
28:53Lindsay and Elliot? It was a better time to play Crawley than it was a good time to play.
28:57Absolutely, yes. Yeah, I fancy Crawley chances more at Rotherham. So yes, speaking of which
29:02score predictions, Mark, very quickly, Rotherham-Crawley, what do you reckon?
29:06I'm going to go for a tight 1-0 win. I'm going to do what they did at Cambridge earlier in the
29:10season under Lindsay and a late goal, a late winner. They'll keep it tight and then they'll
29:15score a late winner. Sam Morton, are we going to see dramatic scenes at Rotherham?
29:202-1 Crawley. Yeah, I think they're going to go to Rotherham and win this one.
29:26And finally, Crawley v Peterborough, we'll start with you, Sam.
29:301-1. I think it'll be a tight game against, as I say, a team that are in form and will be looking
29:36to avoid any defeats themselves. So yeah, it'll be a 1-1 draw. Could Crawley be in a weird situation,
29:43Mark, where if they beat Rotherham, a draw against Peterborough might be viewed as a
29:46bit of a disappointment? Yeah, they would. I think it would be. Yeah,
29:51I think it absolutely would be. My head says the same as Sam. I think it will be a draw and it'll
29:56be a good draw and a good result. But if they beat Rotherham away and then get a draw, it'd just be
30:03like, oh, wouldn't it? I think four points would be a good return from these two games. But I'm
30:11going to go with my heart again. I'm going to go for a 2-1 win this time.
30:162-1 win. I'll ask you this question again next episode of the podcast, starting with you, Mark.
30:20Snap answer, will Crawley stay up? No.
30:24Sam? Yes.
30:28Mr Positivity, that's what I like to hear. Well, I'll ask you both that question next episode,
30:32but thank you very much for joining us as well, Mark and Sam, for this very special episode.
30:36You can catch up with all this latest sports news covering everything we've talked about today at
30:39sussexworld.co.uk forward slash sport and you can watch more excellent videos on shotstv.com
30:44and Freeview channel 262. Thank you very much for listening and watching and we will see you all
30:49next week.