Right Back Where We Started From
There were a lot of negative sounding song ideas bouncing around this week, bury as a theme, and ‘Down Down’ by Status Quo, and more in that kind of vein. But after a year in more rarified air we are heading back to where we started from last season. And therefore we have some classic seventies disco from Maxine Nightingale and her number eight hit from late 1975.
After the barnstorming performance against Northampton Town on Saturday there was joy and pain in the stadium as first Cambridge United equalised only to concede an even later losing goal to Burton Albion, which left us needing a miracle sequence of results to stay up. Burton played their game in hand on Tuesday night against already safe Wigan Athletic. They took the lead halfway through the second half, only for our old boy Ronan Darcy to score a ninety-sixth minute equaliser, but it was too little too late and virtually the last kick of the game and Burton got the point they needed to be completely safe. A point which condemned ourselves (and Bristol Rovers) to relegation.
As the fans filed out after the lap of appreciation, the players were going back inside and into the Innovation Suite to have their end of season awards ceremony. Last year it was an eighty quid a ticket affair on the Sunday night over at Lingfield Racecourse, but no such thing this year, and no fans on hand to witness the awards, drinking and attempts at dancing. There were six awards, the fan picked player of the season went to Charlie Barker, as did the player’s player award. The other fan picked award; goal of the season went to Bradley Ibrahim for his strike against Wrexham back in February. Then there was the Crawley Observer player of the year, which went to Jeremy Kelly. And two club awards, the first being the clubman of the year, going to Jane Hillman, and a special Dannie Bulman award for outstanding contribution going to Ben Harwood. The latter was a new one compared to last year (although there was a special 100 appearances award for Nick Tsaroulla), but it was a pared down awards set, as the PFA Community Champion, the GH Travel away player of the season, and the CTSA young player of the year were all dropped.
During the week I completed reading the current edition of The Blizzard, in addition to the article on Hastings United (who were relegated from the NL South at the weekend), there was another decent piece on Exeter City and their fan based ownership model, which went at lengths to explain just how much there is going on off the pitch in running a club at this level, and how hard it is to stand still even with increased revenues due to there being other clubs increasing their revenues by a lot more. And how their academy is key to keeping the revenue coming in, with big sell on clause incomes coming from the onward sales of Ollie Watkins and Jay Stansfield, although they highlighted the lunacy of tax laws, as despite the fact that the income for Jay Stansfield comes in over seven years due to the length of the contact with Birmingham City, they have to pay the tax on the whole amount in the first year. It does make you realise how much clubs at our level have to scramble to survive.
This will be our eighth game against Shrewsbury Town, having won our first ever game against them at the Broadfield in our first season in the league, but we haven’t won against them since, with three draws and three defeats against them, including the game back in early October when we went down to ten men after Josh Flint was sent off for two silly bookings in quick succession, went into the lead only for some questionable substitutions to be made (something we returned to a lot), and for us to end up losing 5–3, one of seven times this season we’ve scored three or more goals and not won, and the second such game in a week with the emergency loan keeper Connal Trueman.
There were no Shrewsbury Town football cards from the Topps era, and as for the last two games I’ve gone to the 1991–92 Proset collection, and as with Northampton Town last time out, it’s their fixture card with their manager — John Bond — on the front as I still had that set out anyway.
More on my football card obsession over the years can be read in the article below.
Going into this game both Shrewsbury and we are already relegated, it means the result today is immaterial. Or is it? The Reading takeover saga is still unresolved with them having their deadline extended again until after the end of the season, and there may still be the fallout from that as demotion or expulsion from the league are still sanctions which could be applied to them. Therefore it is worth going all out for a good win today so that we stay above Bristol Rovers in twenty-first place, as that may see the (miniscule) chance of an undeserved reprieve. Only for there to be the announcement a couple of hours before kick-off that the sale had been agreed, so it looks done.
For the third season on the trot our last away game of the season is against a club beginning with S (after Swindon Town and Sutton United), my only season supporting Crawley without the last game being against an S side was my first, when we played Oldham Athletic in the last away game. And in three of those four seasons we have played against a side who were relegated. So, Salford City away last game next season anyone?
We travelled up to Shrewsbury on Thursday night, to make a weekend of it. Shrewsbury is a lovely place to have a look around, and they have Loopfest going on all weekend. Part of which meant we were at Shrewsbury Castle last night to see Goldie Lookin’ Chain. So there was the temptation to use one of their songs for the title today, but not sure about the appeal of having a piece called ‘you mother’s got a penis’ is universal (their finale piece last night was a fifteen minute rave classics megamix version of that, which was a joy to behold.)
More by luck than judgement, the hotel we’re at isn’t that far from the ground, The Croud Meadow (or New Meadow). It is further outside the centre of the town than their old ground Gay Meadow, which was on the banks of the River Severn, but was closed in 2007 and is now this.
The old ground had a local coracle maker — Fred Davies (not to be confused with a later Shrewsbury manager with the same name) — would sit in the river in a coracle to retrieve any stray balls booted out of the ground and into the river. A bit of a far cry from the local scallies running off with them from the Broadfield Stadium car park. Wandering around charity shops I did find a couple of pictures of old Shrewsbury books which had pictures of Gay Meadow in action from the late fifties and early sixties.
And other books also had squad pictures of the team from 1923, looking immensely proud, and a rather uncomfortable looking bunch from 1987.
It is strange what else you can find randomly in charity shops, as there was this windbreaker jacket on the rail in one for Sheffield FC, which just seemed a strange thing to find in Shrewsbury.
The weather couldn’t make its mind up and there was a charity shop hoodie purchase this morning as it was freezing, only for the sun to be out and us to be sitting in it for the game.
The club shop is a Portakabin in the car park, and it was rammed, with queues out the door as they had a sale on. They told me that programmes were available elsewhere, only to get round to the away end and be told the club shop was the only place they were selling them today. So no programme and not happy. It would appear the emergency loan for Toby Steward was extended even if it wasn’t announced. Shrewsbury are in blue and yellow striped shirts, with blue socks and shorts and we are in our all-red kit again.
Not sure what they were, or what caused them, but there were strange almost circular patches of no grass two yards in front of each post.
It took twenty seconds, which was even quicker than I had expected when I’d mentioned what our first chant would be, and the Crawley fans didn’t disappoint — “You’re going down with the Crawley” — absolutely no surprise.
There is an early Shrewsbury free kick thirty yards out won from a blatant drive. It is cleared. It seems to be an early Shrewsbury tactic to dive down to the ground at any hint of a challenge around the box.
We have some decent possession, but Shrewsbury break down the left wing and get a cross into the box, there is a free header at the back post, but it goes wide. There is a bit of an early pattern in that, we have possession, Shrewsbury break down the left and get a cross in. the fourth time it happens Charlie Barker heads it clear for a corner, it comes in and we have it with Jack Roles who takes it out of the penalty area and heads up the right, and he is taken out. We get a free kick, but that should have brought a yellow about.
Another corner is conceded following a sloppy pass out of defence by Dion Conroy, it comes in and is headed over. Some of our passing around at the back is heart stopping stuff. We lose the ball in midfield and it is one on one with the keeper, but there is a lack of confidence, and they pass it sideways, again, they decide not to shoot and there is a coming together and the Shrewsbury attacker goes down, I’m half expecting a penalty, but play goes on. We seem to have gone to sleep a bit, especially when compared to our last few games. Shrewsbury are having the better of some extremely limited exchanges.
So limited that the boisterous away crowd are making their own entertainment, and the old favourite of ‘shoes off if you love Crawley’ is making an appearance, along with a bout of shoe waving.
A free kick is conceded in midfield with a bit of a late lunge from Liam Fraser, again I’d have expected a yellow for that, but there isn’t one (well I didn’t see one, probably because Steve Herbert was talking to us so I only had one eye on the game, but apparently there was one shown). However the ref hasn’t forgotten his cards as it might appear, as when Jeremy Kelly is taken out on the left wing, a yellow card for the Shrewsbury player.
It has taken quite some time, but we do finally get a shot, played down the right and into the box and a Max Anderson shot is deflected wide for a corner. The corner goes deep there is a header at the back post which is cleared off (or near) the line and hacked away. We are getting a bit better, we’re trying to play through the middle, but are trying one pass too many and are not getting an attempt at a shot. And again we work it into the box, another pass, and another, and finally a shot, which is blocked. There is one added minute at the end of the half before the half time whistle goes with the score at 0–0 in what has been a somewhat insipid first half.
The second half starts with a Shrewsbury attack, and they win a corner, it goes deep, and Toby Steward punches clear to the edge of the area, there is a shot back in which is blocked and there is another corner. It is taken short; we win it and as Roles tries to play out, he is fouled on the edge of the area. We break down the right and slide the ball through the Rushian Hepburn-Murphy in the box, he passes it back to Panutche Camara, and back to RHM, out to Roles and he crosses it to the back of the box where Gavan Holohan is bundled over about eight yards out. Similar contact to the Shrewsbury one in the first half, so surprised when a penalty is given. More than happy to get it though, especially after some of the non-calls earlier in the season (Bristol Rovers away in the second half and the five decent penalty shouts spring to mind). The Shrewsbury player who conceded the penalty is less than happy. He and several players are moaning to the ref and continuing after he has let RHM get ready to take the penalty. It looks like a tactic to delay the penalty, but whatever is said the ref takes offence and sends the Shrewsbury player off.
The palaver doesn’t put RHM off and he puts it just left of centre as the keeper dives to the right and it is 1–0 to us.
Our next attack sees a ball down the left to RHM in the box who gets barrelled into from behind, but the ref waves play on. That was more of a penalty than the one we were given. We are trying to make the extra man count. There is more attacking pressure. Kelly plays a ball across the field to Roles on the right wing, his cross is put behind for a corner. It is taken deep and there is a lot of pushing and pulling from both sides in the box and the ball goes out to the edge of the area where Roles shoots and the shot is high, wide, and not in the slightest bit handsome.
A Shrewsbury attack is stopped by a foul by Ben Radcliffe which picks up a yellow card. The resulting free kick is played long to the left and they win a corner, which goes across the box and is put out for another corner on the other side of the box. That is played out to the edge of the area and shot is blocked and then we clear it. We play it forward to RHM he passes it to Camara, over to Roles, he crosses it and Holohan gets a header, it comes down to Camara, he passes it back to the edge of the area and Anderson gets it and shoots, it goes into the bottom corner and we lead 2–0.
The next attack sees a ball to Kelly, and he pings it out to Holohan on the left wing, and it goes across to RHM, then Camara, then Anderson, and out to Roles on the right wing who puts a cross in, but it is cleared. It is Kelly’s last involvement as he is substituted and replaced by Armando Junior Quitirna.
Shrewsbury play out from the back and their player charges down the middle for half the pitch before shooting, which Steward stops and collects on the second attempt, and we counter down the left getting the ball to RHM who beats the first man, but then fails to get around the second near the byline, getting muscled out and going over in the box, with no hope of getting anything for that.
We are getting lots of possession, as you would expect with an extra man, getting the ball to Camara down the right channel, he puts in a looping cross over to Roles beyond the back post, but the ball won’t come down quick enough for him to get a shot off and it gets smuggled away and cleared. Shrewsbury break down the right and get a shot off which Steward saves, and it gets cleared long down the left-hand side to AJQ, and he can’t quite get it under control, and it skips through to the keeper.
The next attack sees the ball through to RHM in the middle of the park in the attacking half, as he nears the edge of the box he cuts across and is taken down by the last defender. We get the free kick twenty five yards out smack bang in the middle of the goal, but the last man challenge only draws a yellow card, when it could have easily been a red. AJQ takes the free kick and dips it over the wall, and the keeper does well to tip it over the bar for a corner. It is played short and worked out to Roles who is in a similar position to where the free kick was from, and he is fouled and there is another one. He takes it this time; it is low and around the wall but doesn’t have the power and the keeper saves it easily.
And for the third time in a couple of minutes we have a free kick at about twenty-five yards out, this time it is Holohan who is through and cuts inside the defender and is taken down. Again it is the last defender, but there isn’t even a booking this time. Before the kick is taken, we make a couple of substitutions with Holohan and Roles going off to be replaced by Kamari Doyle and Antony Papadopoulos. AJQ takes the free kick and bends it over the wall, and it is well saved down low.
Camara is taken out on the wing in midfield, which does see a yellow card for a Shrewsbury player. Camara is still doing all action, and forces a mistake in defence, the ball out goes straight to Anderson who slips it into the box to RHM, who takes it on the run and round the last defender, only to rush the shot and put it wide.
The long punt clear sees Conroy inexplicably head it backwards and out for a corner. It is taken short and then passed back to the taker who is then offside. We attack and get our own corner down the right, it is played short, and we do a spell of keep ball passing it out to the left and then back to the right where it come to AJQ who cuts inside into the box and shoots, but it goes wide left.
A sloppy free kick is given away in midfield, the harmless looking ball into the box sees an overhead kick attempt from Shrewsbury look as if it is going harmlessly well wide, but it finds another player on the left of the box who shoots across Steward and into the corner of the net and it is back to 2–1.
There are four added minutes. AJQ gets dispossessed in midfield, Shrewsbury break and get down the right, they get a cross in and a shot is saved by Steward, and the ball is put out for a corner. There is a massive melee in the box before it is taken. The Shrewsbury keeper runs the length of the pitch to get involved. There is a booking (just the one and to a Shrewsbury player, from our end no idea what for), and the keeper stays up for the corner. We clear and head down the right, we are screaming shoot and when we get into the Shrewsbury half the ball is passed forward and RHM is on the end, and he shoots and scores. But the flag is up for offside. He was definitely played on by a defender, but as the keeper was up the other end, the defender was the only one playing him on.
We clear again and break down the left with a ball to RHM who is pulled back and we get a free kick and there is another yellow for a Shrewsbury player. There is only time to take it and then the final whistle goes, and we have won 2–1.
The players come to acknowledge the fans at the end. Scott Lindsey singles out the substituted Jeremy Kelly by putting his arm around him and pointed at him as if encouraging us to chant his name. Which to me doesn’t look a good sign, that was more a ‘cheer him while you can’ gesture as if that were the last time we would be seeing Kelly in a Crawley shirt. I hope I am wrong.
Burton Albion lost, as did Bristol Rovers, and so we finish twenty first, a single point and nine goal difference from safety, which is somewhat frustrating. There are a lot of things I could say about that, but I’ll save that for my season review piece later in the week.
TAFKAL wasn’t with the travelling contingent today, for which I’m sure the officials were grateful, instead he was bowling at the Welsh Open championships, and after today he was top of the leaderboard, so as it stands at least Crawley are winning something. Well done TAFKAL, let’s hope you can stay top and win.
And so that is it, all the games have been played, the points have been tallied, and the final results are in, and we have not been good enough and so head off back to the mire of Division Two for next season. This is my last match report of the season (but there will be a season review piece), and so I’ll now be spending my time supporting Leicestershire-La-La-La in the cricket, where hopefully they can keep their good start to the season going and stay in the promotion places in the country championship. And there is going to be Crawley Town related activity to come over the summer as a new CTFC exhibition will be taking place at Crawley Museum from the 17th July to 16th August covering the last couple of years.
Come on you reds.
Originally published on my own website (without the pictures) at the link below.
For other Crawley Town articles check out the list below
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