Three Crawley Town Trialists Who Caught My Eye in Reds’ 5-0 Win Over Three Bridges — [Names Included]
Crawley Town secured a dominant 5-0 win over local neighbours Three Bridges in a pre-season friendly, giving head coach Scott Lindsey a chance to experiment with his squad.
Photo by Grant Mansfield/ Mansfield Media
The first half saw the Reds line up with a strong side featuring contracted players and new signings — including Danny Cashman, Dion Pereira, Reece Brown, and Kabongo Tshimanga.
Lindsey made eight changes at the break, with Antony Papadopoulos, Holohan, and Harvey Davies the only players to keep their places for the second half.
Of the eight half-time substitutes, four were trialists, with Harry Forster, Ade Adeyemo, Louis Flower, and Jack Roles also getting some valuable minutes under their belts.
Two more trialists were introduced later in the match, both appearing to be younger prospects, potentially from Crawley Town's foundation academy.
In total, six trialists featured during the game — and three of them particularly caught my eye. Here's how they performed, and who they were:
Raphael Araoye
Photo by Fever Pitch
Lining up as the left centre-back in a back three, Araoye impressed with his physical presence and assertive, no-nonsense defending. He showed strength in his tackles, won the majority of his duels, and displayed a fearless attitude when engaging opponents. Crucially, Araoye also looked composed in possession and wasn't afraid to push forward when the opportunity arose.
The 21-year-old is a Bristol City academy graduate who is still in negotiations with the club over a new deal. However, with his appearance as a trialist for the Reds, it seems he may be exploring opportunities elsewhere.
Although Araoye never made a competitive first-team appearance for Bristol City, he was named on the bench for the opening three games of the 2023/24 Championship campaign and has enjoyed loan spells with both Yeovil Town and Weston-super-Mare, while also playing regularly for City's Under-21s.
Across the National League and National League South, he has 26 senior appearances to his name — 11 of which came last season between the Glovers and the Seagulls.
Mandela Egbo
Egbo in action against Brentford in the Carabao Cup. Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
He played on the right side of defence in a back three but frequently pushed forward, showing the energy and attacking intent that suggests he could also do a job as a wing-back. He made several driving runs and tested the keeper with a couple of strong efforts on goal.
The 27-year-old right-back is currently out of contract after making 70 appearances for Colchester United over the past two seasons, including 45 last term with a goal and two assists. While Colchester often operated with a back four, his versatility across multiple positions would make him a valuable asset in Scott Lindsey's preferred back-three system. A former Crystal Palace academy player, he has also played abroad with Borussia Mönchengladbach II, SV Darmstadt 98, and New York Red Bulls.
With 231 career appearances across several divisions, he would add much-needed experience to Crawley's relatively young defensive unit.
Noah Watson.
Watson in action against Liverpool under 21's in May 2024. Photo by Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Noah Watson looked confident and assured in the centre of defence against Three Bridges, showing composure on the ball, vocal leadership, and helping to organise the backline. The 21-year-old is the brother of current Crawley midfielder Louie Watson, who joined midway through last season.
A product of the Crystal Palace academy, Noah was released in 2024 and has spent the past year as a free agent. Now back on trial with Crawley — having also trained with the club last summer — he remains very inexperienced, but his solid performance against Three Bridges has raised questions about whether Scott Lindsey might take a chance on him, especially with the club now in a lower division and needing defensive depth.