Crawley Town vs Cheltenham Preview: Team News, Lineups, Prediction
After picking up their first wins of the season last weekend, Crawley Town and Cheltenham face off at the Broadfield Stadium tomorrow afternoon with both sides hoping to add another three points to their tally and push them away from the relegation zone.
Cheltenham, who are 23rd in the table currently sit 23rd in the table but a win against the Reds could push them as high as 18th if results go their way.
The sides in action at the Broadfield Stadium in 2021. Photo by Steven Paston/PA Images via Getty Images
Match Preview
Crawley Town have found the adjustment to life back in League Two challenging following their relegation last season, taking just one win, two draws and four defeats from their opening seven fixtures.
Both draws came against strong opposition, with the Reds holding promotion contenders MK Dons to a 1-1 stalemate and earning a 2-2 result away at Chesterfield.
Scott Lindsey's men finally secured their first league win of the campaign last weekend, edging past Harrogate Town 1-0 courtesy of a spectacular strike from Reece Brown. However, Crawley were indebted to goalkeeper Harvey Davies, who kept out a barrage of attempts as Harrogate registered 22 shots.
It continues a concerning theme for the Reds, with the Liverpool loanee already facing 20 efforts on the opening day against Grimsby, 17 against MK Dons and 12 against Chesterfield.
While defensive vulnerabilities remain an issue, Crawley are also struggling in attack, with only five goals scored in seven outings. The summer departures of Rushian Hepburn Murphy, Will Swan, Armando Quitirna and Kamari Doyle have left a creative void, and though new recruits Kabongo Tshimanga, Harry McKirdy, Danny Cashman, Louis Flower and Ryan Loft were brought in, they are yet to fully settle.
Cheltenham Town have also endured a difficult start to the season, suffering a heavy 5-0 defeat to MK Dons and a 1-0 loss against newly promoted Barnet.
The Robins did claim a morale-boosting 2-0 Carabao Cup victory over League One side Exeter City, before exiting the competition in the second round at the hands of Cardiff City.
Michael Flynn's side have shown signs of gradual improvement in league action, most recently earning a narrow 1-0 win over Accrington Stanley, though consistency remains elusive.
The last competitive meeting between these two sides came in April 2021, when Crawley sealed a 1-0 win in Sussex thanks to a decisive strike from Jordan Maguire-Drew just 10 minutes after his introduction from the bench.
Team News
Photo by Natalie Mayhew/Butterfly Football
Crawley Town will be without new signing Ryan Loft, who is suspended after receiving two yellow cards in the victory over Harrogate Town. Jay Williams is also expected to remain sidelined, having missed the last three matches.
Scott Lindsey confirmed that Louis Watson and Danny Cashman are still unavailable through injury, while Ade Adeyemo, who was withdrawn at half-time last weekend, should be fit to feature. Kaheim Dixon is a doubt due to returning back late from international duty.
The Reds are likely to line up in a similar fashion to their win over Harrogate, with Adeyemo expected to drop to the bench.
Photo by Dan Istitene
Cheltenham, meanwhile, have no fresh injury concerns and Flynn is set to stick with the same starting XI that earned victory last weekend.
Crawley Town predicted lineup:
Davies; Conroy, Barker, Flint; Brown, Pereira, Bajrami, Scott, Forster; McKirdy, Tshimanga
Cheltenham predicted lineup:
Day; Bennett, Willcox, Bennett, Sherring; Jude-Boyd, Kinsella, Young, Archer; Hutchinson; Miller, Angol
We Say: Crawley Town 2-1 Cheltenham
Crawley's first win of the campaign will have lifted confidence, and Scott Lindsey's men will be eager to build momentum on home soil.
The Reds still look vulnerable defensively, particularly from set pieces and counter-attacks, which could offer Cheltenham a route back into the game.