Find out everything you need to know about Saturday's opposition as Stevenage travel to Crawley Town for a 3pm kick-off in Sky Bet League Two…
The Basics…
The Reds are now into their ninth season in the Football league after gaining promotion from the Conference National for the first time in their history in 2011.
The Club were able to go one better the following season and gained back-to-back promotions to League One - finishing third in their debut season in League Two. Crawley were able to spend three seasons in the third tier of the English pyramid, before being relegated in 2015 when the team were relegated to League Two, finishing 22nd, just two points shy of safety.
Latest Form…
Just before their mid-season change in manager when John Yems returned to the Club in December, Crawley were on poor run of form recording just one win since October when they defeated Colchester 2-1 at home. At this point, the team were looking guilty of slipping into a potential relegation battle and a return to the National League appeared on the cards.
Since the manager’s opening game against the Boro in 0-0 draw on the 7th of December at The Lamex Stadium, Yems has been able to steady the Crawley ship and push his side away from the drop zone by creating a hard-to-beat philosophy with just three defeats in his 15 games whilst in charge.
The team are also unbeaten in seven games at The People’s Pension Stadium under their new manager, most recently beating Scunthorpe 3-1 before been left frustrated in a less-eventful goalless draw against Carlisle which leaves the Reds in 14th place.
Star Man…
Fans favourite Ollie Palmer became an instant hit at the Club after signing from Lincoln City in June 2018, finishing as Crawley’s top goalscorer last season with 14 goals. After a slow start this season with injuries and a dip in form, Palmer has scored seven goals in his last eight games and looks set to break last season’s tally by netting 12 goals already in this campaign.
The 28-year-old started his career at Woking, but found himself shipped out on loan rather than playing; signing for Havant & Waterlooville where he spent two years with the non-league side, finishing up as the team’s top goalscorer and the National League South Player of the Season in 2013. The striker went onto play for Mansfield, Grimsby, Leyton Orient and Luton before joining Lincoln and then Crawley.
The Gaffer…
The Reds parted company with former Head Coach Gabriele Cioffi on December 2nd after 14 months in charge at The People’s Pension Stadium. Three days later, former manager John Yems was named as the man to change the Club’s fortunes around until the end of the season.
In his first stint at Crawley, he was able to keep the Club in the Conference National in 2008 on the final day, having started the season with a 10 point deduction. The new Head Coach was also part of Bournemouth’s historic rise from League One to the Premier League, in his role as Football Operations Manager. He has also worked at Fulham, Millwall, Crystal Palace, Torquay and Gillingham.
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