Just Go For It, Go For The Second Time

8 min readJan 24, 2024

There was the temptation to have more Chitty Chitty Bang Bang lyrics, but instead it is Kim Wilde who needs apologies this time out.

Following the disappointment of the postponed away game at AFC Wimbledon on Saturday, another game lost to a frozen pitch, it is déjà vu all over again as I return to Peterborough to play United just under a fortnight since the original fixture was postponed for the same thing.

Only this time it is the usual Tuesday night midweek game for us instead of the Wednesday night the original was scheduled for. To recap (or blatantly copy what I said last time), this one is a cup game, a third-round tie in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy. Yes, the one that has had more names over the years than I’ve had hairstyles. It is the first time Crawley have reached this stage of the competition.

It is the first time we have played Peterborough since a 2–0 loss against them in the Carabao Cup at the start of the 2015–16 season. They are going well in the league this season, and now sit second in League One, and in the automatic promotion slots after winning both their league games since our cup tie was postponed.

What we don’t know (as I write this part of this up anyway) is how seriously both sides are going to take this game. We have already had wins over two League One sides this season in the competition without playing our full-strength side, and I’d expect a similar strength side again today. As for Peterborough, it is difficult to say how they will treat it. Flying high in League One they could look at this as a serious trophy winning opportunity. On the flip side they might want to rest players so they can push on for promotion to the Championship.

Meanwhile, we have had a disappointing loss at home to Salford City in a game reminiscent of the Alamo. And then the postponed game on Saturday (a double disappointment as I was to have a piece in the programme for that game — I’m not sure what is happening now, though I suspect they had already printed them before the postponement and it will be out of date by the time the game goes ahead now).

But with last weekend’s game off, and next weekend’s game away to Wrexham also postponed due to their participation in the fourth round of the FA Cup, it does mean we can have a pretty much free swing at this game and go all out to win it. Which would then mean the quarter finals for us and a home tie against AFC Wimbledon next Tuesday.

This time around I have come up by myself on the train and got here in daylight in lots of time. I can work out how long it takes to get from the station to the ground (ready for the quick march back after the game), and to take some pictures in the light. There may well be further sightseeing involved before the game.

It was a bit damp on arrival in Peterborough, but I stuck to the plan and timed how long it took me from platform to outside the away stand. So, I had a baseline for how fast I had to scuttle back for the direct train depending on what time the game finished.

I had a look around the ground and took some photos in the light.

And of the statue to Chris Turner.

I also went in to have a poke around in their club shop. Which is quite impressive for a League 1 side. So many different items to buy. If our club shop had a quarter of what was on offer at Peterborough, I’d be a pauper within a couple of months. It does seem like a massive, missed opportunity.

Then it was back to being a tourist for a couple of hours, taking black and white pictures this time around. Then a late lunch / early dinner (should that be a lunner or a dinch?)

I went into a charity shop to look at records and must have the look of a charity shop worker as people kept asking me where stuff is. It was difficult resisting the temptation to send them on a wild goose chase.

Then an hour in Charters nursing a non-alcoholic sugar-free drink before heading to the ground nice and early to take floodlit photos.

I was trying to count how many Crawley fans were coming in. I got into the seventies before kick-off.

Crawley were in white shirts, black shorts and socks, and Peterborough were in blue shirts and shorts, and white socks. And despite having a bag full of stuff with me, I failed to bring my glasses, so it wasn’t the clearest view of things.

We started brightly and had racked up a corner and a shot on target in the first minute. Another shot on target from the halfway line had the Peterborough keeper scrambling back but dropped into his arms a yard out. There was good early pressure on the ball as Peterborough played it around at the back.

There was nothing of note for nearly twenty minutes until a good move down the right ended with an Ade Adeyemo shot. Quickly followed by another attack and a shot from the edge of the D by Nick Tsaroulla went into the bottom corner and we lead 1–0.

Soon after we break down the left, Adeyemo turns on the halfway line and leaves his man for dead, plays it to Adam Campbell on the overlap, the cross goes into the box and Danilo Orsi is dragged down right in front of the referee, who sees nothing wrong, and waves play on. Peterborough break down the left and a cross is deflected and loops over Corey Addai and into the net to equalise. 1–1.

Two minutes later they go down the left again and another shot goes just wide. Peterborough’s left winger is having a field day.

We have some good play, but then comes the standard poor / lackadaisical ball to no one across the front of our own box and the Peterborough striker gladly accepts the gift and slots it in and we are behind. 1–2.

They have a penalty shout which is waved away, and Duncan Ferguson loses his shit in the technical area.

There are three added minutes, and their left winger is off again. They get a corner, and the header from it goes just over and the ref blows for half time.

We start the second half brightly and have an early corner again. All the early pressure is ours, but the final ball / shot is just off.

A free kick on the left side of the box is played in. There is a scramble in the six-yard box and the ball comes back to Adeyemo only for his shot to go over the bar and run all the way up to the top of the stand behind the goal before coming back down onto the pitch.

Peterborough start to have more of the ball and a break down the left ends up with a shot which Addai gets a hand to it and a defender clears it off the line. They get a corner; the wind takes it long and it is headed back across where the shot smashes against the underside of the bar and is cleared.

It is a frustrating watch and period of play. Now stop me if you’ve heard this before, but there is too much sideways and backwards passing, especially in our own half.

We get a free kick on the edge of the area, and it is wasted. And there is no urgency. There are only a couple of minutes of normal time left. However, there is an attack down the left and a shot is saved for a corner. But it is cleared.

There are three added minutes. We attack down the right and an appeal for a free kick is waved away and Peterborough break down the left. The cross is put wide by the striker and the referee blows the final whistle and that is it.

We are out of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy. So, no game next Tuesday against AFC Wimbledon. And with no game on Saturday that’s it for January. Our next game is the third of February at home to Morecambe.

I easily scuttled quickly enough to make the train, despite stacking it on the gravel of the stadium car park whilst failing to multitask and walk and text at the same time. But it is still tomorrow when I get home and publish this.

Come on you reds.

Originally published on my own website (without pictures) at the link below.