Lindsey Calls for Response as Crawley Host Newport in Season Opener
Scott Lindsey says he "doesn't want to dwell" on Crawley Town's opening-day "horror show" against Grimsby Town, as his side prepares for their first home game of the season against Newport County.
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
The Reds will be looking to bounce back from last Saturday's 3–0 defeat at Blundell Park, and the 53-year-old confirmed preparations have been sharp in training this week.
"The players have trained really well and their application has been really positive," said Lindsey.
"We debriefed the game on Monday, which was a bit of a horror show, but it was pleasing to draw a line under that and move forward.
"It wasn't a great start and we know that. There have been some harsh words and honest conversations. I've kind of forgotten about it now, so I don't want to dwell on it."
The Mariners took the lead in the 10th minute when Jaze Kabia confidently converted from the penalty spot. Further goals from Cameron McJannet and Evan Khouri sealed a dominant win for Grimsby, sending Crawley back to West Sussex empty-handed.
The nature of the defeat has prompted Lindsey to turn the focus inward in training, concentrating on his own squad's identity rather than Newport's setup.
"We've really focused on ourselves in training this week. That's not to show any disrespect to Newport, they had a really good result against Notts County and played well.
"It's a new manager and, in many ways, a new squad as well. They'll be a challenge and it's another hard game. But because we were so poor in the first game, we've done a lot of work on ourselves: what we look like, what we can do, and how we can stamp our authority on the game."
The game at the Broadfield Stadium will be Crawley's first home fixture of the season and is expected to draw a strong crowd. Lindsey hopes his side can feed off that energy and deliver a performance that sets the tone for the campaign.
"We love playing at home and we love our fans. This is a tough place for any opposition to come - I've experienced that myself. I've said it in press conferences before: when I came here as an opposition manager, it was a really tough place to play.
"If we can build that kind of fortress and make it hard for teams to enjoy themselves here, that's important. We can start that on Saturday."
Lindsey also called for a shift in mentality, urging his players to play with pride and intensity.
"We're proud to wear the badge. When we run out there, we want to show the fans we're willing to work for every single ball.
"We're going to be first to everything. We're going to run harder than the opposition, press, track back, defend, react, and play our style of football.
"We didn't show that on Saturday — but hopefully we will this Saturday."