Football Season Review

Crawley Town have had a rather inconsistent season, as they had two spells during which they looked like strong promotion candidates, only to cancel all of their previous good work during two spells during which they badly struggled for points and goals alike. Things started in a promising manner, as they lost only two of their opening twelve games, but they then entered a seven-game winless run during which they scored only once, and which cost Ritchie Barker his job. The Red Devils opted to replace Barker with John Gregory, who made a return to English football after seven years of working abroad, and the former Aston Villa boss got off to a reasonably good start at the helm, as Crawley lost only one of his opening five games in charge. Just like last season, the Red Devils had a lengthy spell during which they were out of action due to the state of their pitch, as they did not play a single competitive game between 25th January and 22nd February. They maintained their fine form after returning to action, as they lost only once in eight games, but fatigue started catching up with them in mid March, as they had a six-game losing run that realistically ended their hopes of making the play-offs. Gregory admitted following the end of the season that it was always going to be extremely difficult for his side to maintain a high level of play for a protracted period, as they had to play two games per week in the last two months of the season. In the end, the Red Devils finished 14th, and will have to either increase the size of their squad or have better luck with weather next year if they are to push for promotion.

Player of the Season: Joe Walsh