Crawley Town beat Exeter City 3-1 in League One as they closed the gap between them a safety. Here is Scott Lindsey with his thoughts on the game
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00:00Scott, thank you for joining us. That's a bit more like it, isn't it? A 3-1 victory here at the Broadfield Stadium.
00:05Can I get your thoughts on game first?
00:07Pleased, obviously. I thought it was a good performance. Obviously a good result, which we need at the moment.
00:12So, pleased with that as well. But I thought we were excellent. I thought the players were really good.
00:17I thought they showed a real intent from minute one to go and win a game of football against a good side.
00:23Well-coached team as well. So, yeah, really pleased.
00:27Yeah, we spoke a little bit earlier in the week about instilling more belief into the players.
00:32Obviously a good result of Birmingham does that, but then to go ahead within two goals in ten minutes is incredible.
00:37So, what was the sort of messages you gave the players before the game? Was it purely just belief?
00:41Start fast. Start fast because we're at a critical time of the season now where we've got to win games.
00:50And I think it makes it easier if you start so well and you get control early in a game.
00:56Of course, scoring goals always helps as well. I thought they were good goals.
01:01And, yeah, we were really aggressive front foot, aggressive on the press. I thought we played some really good football.
01:07I was really pleased with today.
01:09Yeah, it seems like we managed the game really well.
01:11It was another thing we spoke about recently about a young squad, obviously.
01:14I suppose it can almost get to a place. Everyone would tune it up early doors and then all of a sudden, you know, they pull one back.
01:20But we managed it after that really well, didn't we?
01:22Yeah, I think so. I think we did to a degree, but I felt that we could have probably had more of the ball.
01:29Certainly in the last ten minutes, I thought we could have just rested with the ball.
01:32I know the crowd were asking us to attack. I didn't really want to. I wanted just to see the game out with possession.
01:38You know, because if we throw caution to the wind and attack and attack and attack, there's a good chance that we concede.
01:45So it was important that we just rested with the ball and I didn't think we did that that well, actually, in the last probably five, ten minutes.
01:54But listen, I can't moan. I thought the players put in an unbelievable effort, shift, whatever you want to call it,
02:02and got the game plan spot on in terms of how we wanted to press.
02:06I think as well, the telling point is the fact that Exeter City predominantly play a back three.
02:12They turned up today with a back four, so they changed shape for us.
02:15So I'll take that as a compliment. Maybe there's something different in there. I don't know.
02:19But yeah, they've come here and changed shape, which I don't think they've played a back four for a long, long time.
02:24So it's surprising to see that. But we kind of was organised with actually played against a back four last week.
02:30So we knew how to press and who was going to jump to who.
02:33And the players kind of managed that for me while they were out there, which is always good to see as well.
02:38Yeah, a couple of changes in the midfield today.
02:40One was obviously forced with Brad being suspended, but obviously Gav coming into the midfield to replace Cammy.
02:45How much of an impact did he make today and what was the sort of thinking behind that?
02:48Was it purely sort of Cammy's played a lot of minutes recently or is it more that Gav's obviously an experienced pro that we want in a game like this?
02:54Yeah, it's a really good question. I think obviously I had to make a change with Max Anderson coming in for Bradley.
02:59I'd like to say that Max has been a brilliant professional in the time that I've been here.
03:05Kind of had to be patient, but now he's got his opportunity to play and I thought he was outstanding.
03:09I favoured Gav because I felt that Cam looked really tired at the weekend.
03:14Sorry, on Friday at Birmingham. I felt that he just looked like he'd run out of steam a little bit.
03:19He's 19 years of age. He's played a lot of football and it looks like it just caught up with him a little bit.
03:25So I went with Gav. Gav again has been really patient, been a really good professional around the place.
03:31If you hear what he's like in the dressing room before a game, whether he's on the bench or not,
03:35he's an outstanding pro and he's desperate for us to win and stay up.
03:38So I just felt it was a little bit of freshness, especially with playing Friday Monday.
03:44I think it was the right thing to do to put fresh legs on the pitch.
03:48And Cam, when I kind of had the meeting with him yesterday about that's my decision, his attitude was first class
03:57and completely understood the reasons why I was doing it and why I'd made the decision
04:02and showed a real kind of maturity within his self, which I will be reporting back to Brighton.
04:10Brilliant and I thought he did well when he came on.
04:12Yeah, we can't help but not look at results around us.
04:15They have gone in our favour today, so it sets up a good finale.
04:18Obviously, Burton has still got three games to play, whereas we've only got two.
04:21But what's your message to people around the club, that's fans, staff, players as we approach these final two games?
04:26Enjoy today. It's brilliant because we've won and everyone else has lost.
04:30I just enjoy it. We're going to prepare again for a big game on Saturday.
04:36Come in your numbers. Again, support the team like you did today.
04:40I thought your fans were brilliant.
04:42Come and get behind the players and we're going to need you.
04:46It's a massive game again.
04:48It's a massive game.
04:49But when I look at it and I look back and I think that I come here with nine games to go,
04:54with 12 points behind, to say that we're still in it with three games to go, I think it's a credit.
05:01I think it's a massive credit. Of course, we want to finish the job.
05:04But the fact that we're still in fighting and kicking is a credit to the players.
05:10How positive is it, with all those results going away, that you're back at home next week as well?
05:15It's great to have another home game following a performance like that, isn't it?
05:18Yeah, of course. We like being at home. I think this is a hard place to come for any team.
05:23Through my own experience, I know that. We're pleased we're at home. We know what we've got to do.
05:31We've just got to win. It's the easiest thing to say but sometimes the hardest thing to do.
05:37But we've got to do it. We've got to play like we played today. We've got to have that same energy.
05:42I thought we were classed today. I really did. But we can't come off them standards now.
05:48We've got to keep to them standards all the time, every week, every game, every training session.
05:52We've got to reach them levels.
05:54I just want to talk about Gav as well because we haven't seen a lot of him this year.
05:58I know he's had injuries and that. But his first 90 minutes, I think, he's completed.
06:03Just your assessment of his performance and what he brings to the side.
06:06I thought he was brilliant. I really did. He arrived onto things, didn't he?
06:10He made good passes. He made good decisions on the ball. He made tackles.
06:14His energy out there, his want, will and determination to win the game, you could clearly see.
06:21At this stage of the season, that's what we're going to need.
06:23We're going to need every player to play like Gav did today.
06:26If we have that, I'm sure we'll be fine. But yeah, I thought he was great today.
06:30I've really enjoyed working with Gav again. I signed him in the summer.
06:34He came in and obviously I wasn't here too long to work with him.
06:39But then come back, he found himself kind of outside to start with.
06:43But I've got to be honest with you, his professionalism, the way he's trained,
06:46his attitude towards what we're trying to do and what we're trying to achieve is first class.
06:51And I'm really pleased to have given him the opportunity today.
06:54And Max Ayold in that same regard as well, you know, Max Anderson.
06:58They've both been top class in terms of attitude and it's pleasing to give them a chance today.
07:05And they've took it, both of them, and I thought they were brilliant today.
07:08And I know we talked about the goalkeeper situation on Thursday before the Birmingham game.
07:12Obviously Toby was an emergency loan. Do you know where you are for next week yet?
07:17Because we saw Ryan warming up before the game, having a little sort of workout.
07:22First time I think we've seen that. So you've got no idea where you are for next week yet?
07:26Yeah, too early to assess at the moment. But I think Ryan's nowhere near probably ready to play in a game,
07:31I've got to be honest with you. But yeah, we've still got to assess and see where we're at.
07:36Thanks a lot.
07:38Cool. Any more?