- 7 weeks ago
Matt Pole is joined by Brighton writers Derren Howard and Henry Bryant, and Crawley Town expert Mark Dunford.
Brighton suffered late heartbreak in their Premier League opener against Fulham, conceding an equaliser at the death, while Crawley Town picked up their first League Two point in midweek.
This week, we look back at Brighton’s draw with the Cottagers, look ahead to Albion’s historic trip to Everton on Sunday, and bring you all the latest from Crawley Town.
Brighton suffered late heartbreak in their Premier League opener against Fulham, conceding an equaliser at the death, while Crawley Town picked up their first League Two point in midweek.
This week, we look back at Brighton’s draw with the Cottagers, look ahead to Albion’s historic trip to Everton on Sunday, and bring you all the latest from Crawley Town.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome to another episode of the Garmouth Action Podcast, where we take a look at all
00:04the latest goings-on at Brighton, Hove, Abbey and Crawley Town. I'm Matt Palp, and this
00:08week I'm joined by Brighton writers Darren Howard and Henry Bryan and Crawley Town expert
00:12Mark Dunford. Brighton suffered late heartbreak in their Premier League opener against Fulham,
00:16conceding an equaliser to death, while Crawley Town picked up their first League Two point
00:20of the season in midweek. This week, we'll look back at Brighton's draw with the cottages,
00:24look ahead to Abbey's historic trip to Everton on Sunday, and bring you all the latest from
00:28Crawley Town. You can read all the stories we are talking about with videos and pictures
00:32online at sussexworld.co.uk forward slash sport. And we will start, as ever, at Brighton-Hove
00:38Abbey, who were held to a one-all-home draw by Fulham in their first game of the 2025-26
00:42Premier League campaign. Matt O'Reilly gave the Seagulls a 55th-minute lead, firing home
00:47from the spot after Jorginho Ruta was fouled by Sander Berger. Abbey looks certain to claim
00:52three points until Rodrigo Muniz netted from close range in the 96th minute to stun the hosts.
00:57It's a sickening way to start the season, Derren, even though they weren't beaten, although
01:02it probably felt like a defeat at the end. What did you make of the Seagulls' performance
01:05and any positives to take from that?
01:09Yes. Yeah. No, you're exactly right, Matt. It did feel like a defeat. Well, the way, you
01:14know, the reaction from the fans afterwards, the reaction from how the players looked and
01:18from Herzella. Herzella was keen to sort of stress that the performance was good. And I'd have
01:25to agree with him as well. I think the performance was good. They looked, up until the very last
01:31minute, they looked very compact and good in possession. They were always a threat going
01:36forward. And they just needed that second goal to help get them over the line. Because
01:44otherwise, if you have that second goal, it just prevents all, you know, the nervy finish
01:48and, you know, when the crowd gets anxious and the players are, you know, just sort of
01:53doing anything to get the ball away. So it was, it was just one of those, it was unlucky,
01:59really. I would put it in the unlucky category. I thought they thoroughly deserved the three
02:03points. And they just couldn't see it through. And because it happened a few times last season
02:09as well, it's sort of like, oh, you know, here we go again. It's new season, but same
02:15old problems. But yeah, it's, it was disappointing. They should have had three points to start,
02:21start the new campaign. But I would take encouragement when you ask about positives, I would say that
02:27the performance overall was a, was a positive from the team, the tactics. I thought most things
02:34were quite good. Mats Wiefer, I think playing at right back is, he's been, you know, he's,
02:42we spoke to Herzella about this in a press conference today, ahead of the Everton match,
02:46and he was brought in as a midfielder. But he's, he's now sort of adapted to this right back role,
02:53played there at the later parts of last season. And he's looked really good in pre-season. And I
02:58thought he was excellent against Fulham as well. I think he's going to be a really, really top player
03:03for Brighton this, this season. Whether he gets to shift around into the midfield role,
03:08I don't know. But at the moment, he's playing at right back. And I think he looks very good.
03:13And I think a few of the other signings from the previous summer are going to come into their own
03:18this season. So Matt O'Reilly, he played in the number 10 role, scored the penalty. And he looks good.
03:24He's, he sort of sees, he's, he's a consistent player. He sort of sees the picture in his mind
03:30before, you know, playing, playing the balls in. And I think someone like that, who offers a
03:34consistency, Herzella knows what he's going to get. He's a step ahead of NCISO, who they're looking to
03:40say they're going to let go to, to, to Chelsea group this, this summer. We can speak a bit about
03:45that later. And I also thought having Yassi Nayari, excellent in the centre midfield. And what please,
03:52what I was quite pleased to see as well as Ferdi Cadioglu as well. He came on for the last half an hour,
03:57played on the right wing, then switched to the left wing. And I think him coming back from his
04:01long-term toe injury last season, I think that's going to be a massive boost for Brighton this year
04:07as well.
04:08Yeah, we'll jump ahead a bit then. You've mentioned Cadioglu. It sounds like he's done all right.
04:13It was a bit of a nightmare campaign for it last season, wasn't it, Darren? And did he,
04:17did he still look the part?
04:19I think there's, there's, there's so much more to come from him. When he, when he got injured last
04:25season, it was against Liverpool and he just had the best game of his career since,
04:29since joining Albion from, from Fenerbahce for £25 million. Turkish international,
04:37very clever on the ball. He looks physically ready as, as well this, this season now as well.
04:43And I think the best thing about him as well is that he can play quite a few different roles,
04:48which is similar to likes of Wifa, similar to Jack Inchalwood as well, where they can
04:52fill in in various positions. But I think Cadioglu's main role will be on the right-hand side
04:59of the attack, the left-hand side of the attack. But if he's needed to play in at the full-back
05:04positions, I think he can do, he can do that as well. He's, he's a player that I saw in the early
05:11parts of last season. And you know, when you just see a player and you think, oh yeah, he's really,
05:15really got something. You had that impression. And when he had this long-term injury,
05:20it was a, you know, a really big blow for Brighton last season and one they had to adapt to.
05:26And I think him, him coming back, he could, he could be a real boost to the squad and he can play
05:31in numerous positions. He's a goal threat as well. So, so yeah, having him back is, is a real boost.
05:38Well, going back to post-match thoughts, as Darren said, Fabian Hatzella looked at the positives,
05:43but he did say the result was a painful one. And I think it's hard to disagree with the
05:47Albion head coach, Henry. And as Darren mentioned, seeing out a game was a real problem for the
05:52Seagulls last season. Is there a worry amongst the Albion fan base that history might be repeating
05:57itself and just simply why are Albion unable to hold onto, onto leads?
06:02I wish I knew to be fair, but yeah, it's a, it's a real tricky situation. I was all set and ready to
06:09put my player ratings up, made some anxious last minute changes. And it was a real shame. It was
06:16literally the basically last kick of the game. And it's another set piece that Brighton haven't
06:21been able to stand strong on. It was actually James Milner at that back post that sort of slipped over
06:27his own foot, which allowed the ball to drop nicely and Fulham to get a last minute goal. And it was
06:34absolute limbs for them. They were really chuffed with the draw, felt like a win. But Matoma had a
06:40chance to score late on, as did Gruda and Diego Gomez. And as we say, it's a massive area that
06:46needs to be improved on. It's been the Achilles heel of Fabian Herzler managing the club. Albion have
06:53dropped 22 points from winning positions during the 2024 to 2025 season. And whilst you've got to be
07:01realistic about game management and also how games go, obviously, there are going to be times where
07:07they're just not going to be able to hold on. If they got just six more points last season,
07:13they would have been playing in Europe. And going on that game, I know that Dera reflected on it and
07:18gave a good sort of analysis of that. But the key is really the missing part of Jaal Pedro.
07:25He was very much missed. And I think he would have killed that game off and it could have been
07:292-3-0 for the Albion. But yeah, it was an interesting one. And set piece wise, Brighton
07:3710 goals from set pieces in the Premier League last season. So it's another thing that they need to
07:42look at. It needs to be improved quickly. It's important to be able to see out these games. And
07:50it's very disappointing, especially against a side like Fulham where there's always grudge matches
07:55between them. And to have had that win almost in the same sort of sense that Brighton got the
08:013-0 win against Everton last season for Fabian Herzler's first game, which is another bogey team
08:07for Brighton. And playing Everton this week is going to be another big one. But yeah, it just had the
08:14same feeling as that. And it's just a shame that Brighton weren't able to push on and get those final
08:19goals that would have sealed off the game really. Yeah, couldn't agree more. But there was some
08:24good news for Fabian this week. Carlos Belieber's Seagulls future seems to be resolved. The Cameroon
08:29International was linked with a summer move to Manchester United, but that move now seems to be
08:33off. With Fabian remaining resolute in their stance, the player is now leaving the club.
08:38Might be an obvious question, Henry, but how big of a boost is this for the Seagulls? And how did the 22
08:43year old perform against Fulham on Saturday? Yeah, as you say, it's a massive step in sort of the
08:51Brighton's way of thinking and trying to keep some of those key players. I mean, the loss of Jao Pedro
08:57was evident against Fulham. But I must say the maintenance of keeping Carlos Belieber was also
09:04obvious as well. He was dominating in the middle of the park and he was the only player I would say
09:10who's just got that extra level of quality to actually drive into another gear and force or
09:16defence into attack. And he's been able to do that. And that's why so many teams are looking at it,
09:21looking at him. And Man United wanted him really just to sort of get that ball up the pitch quickly.
09:27And he's such a strong presence in there. Great to see him. And also, I've got to mention Mitoma as
09:33well, although he didn't have his best game. It's another sign that Brighton are trying to build
09:37under Fabian Herzler. And although they've got these younger players that are coming in who have
09:42been signed this season and last season, there's also stand-up players that Brighton are prepared
09:47to sort of reject bids and offers for to keep them in a competitive spirit. But yeah, Belieber was a
09:55great sort of aspect of that game. A real positive sign for Brighton fans. Fabian Herzler, after the game,
10:03said that Belieber is someone that they want to keep developing. And I think that's the perfect
10:11way that Belieber will grow because you go to a high pressure situation like Manchester United, you've
10:18got even more media on you, even more criticism. And we've seen players in the past, I know it's not
10:23quite the same, but when Paul Pogba went to Manchester United, he just sort of, his quality dipped. And I know we're
10:29talking about a player that's not performed quite at that level just yet. But it's a similar situation
10:35where I think Belieber's been really sensible and his agent's been sensible and they've understood
10:40that Brighton's still a great stepping stone for him to do better things. He's still so, so young.
10:46And yeah, let's see how he develops and hopefully they don't come for him again in January.
10:51Fingers crossed. I believe you also have some more player news for us, Derren. News of an imminent
10:58departure from Brian.
10:59Yeah, I sort of touched on it briefly earlier. It looks like Julio Nciso is going to be on the move.
11:07It's kind of surprising. It kind of isn't really. The only surprise is that he's been struggling with
11:11a knee injury. So I thought that may sort of scupper any move for him in this window at least. But
11:17it seems to me that he's going to progress on a move to the Chelsea ownership group.
11:25And he's going to be, he's looking as though he's going to be sent out on loan to Strasbourg,
11:30who are part of this multi-club ownership. So he'll have the season with Liam Rossini,
11:37former Brighton player who's in charge of Strasbourg. And he'll team up with Valentin Barco,
11:41who left Brighton earlier this summer to go to Strasbourg as well. So, yeah, Brighton,
11:49it must be one of the easiest deals in the world. If Chelsea want to sign a Brighton player, they
11:53must know exactly who's dealing with who, who does what. And, you know, it must be quite a smooth
12:00process by now when you look at the amount of players who's...
12:03They must have a WhatsApp group.
12:04It must have made just Cook or Brighton-Chelsea dealings or something.
12:08Yeah. Can we have him? Yes. Okay.
12:14I think there's a, because he had been linked to Porto, he had been linked to Inter Milan,
12:18so there were quite a few clubs looking at him. And I think that from what we've heard,
12:24it's going to be a fee in a region of about 17 million that they're going to pay Brighton to
12:31land in CISO. Brighton paid eight million for him when they signed him from Club Libertad
12:36in 2022. It's a frustrating one in CISO. I think Herzella likes people who he knows what he's going
12:45to get. And CISO can be a bit of a maverick and brilliant one game, brilliant one minute,
12:51and then it gives the ball away the next. And it's, he's still outrageously talented,
12:56but it's a question of whether Herzella wants him in the team. And it looks like he prefers
13:03players that can offer him a bit more consistency. So yeah, I spoke to him about it today. It was one
13:08of the questions in the press conference this morning, and he sort of said that he doesn't
13:13view, and he doesn't think that, because I said that, you know, has he fulfilled his potential at
13:18Brighton? And he said he doesn't think that it's been a failure. He thinks he's been a success at
13:22Brighton because big clubs were still looking at him. But I think fans will look at it and think,
13:28you know, Brighton haven't quite got the best out of NCISO during his time there,
13:32although injuries did play a part as well.
13:34Yeah, and I noticed a wry shake of the head from Mark Dunford at what Darren had to say
13:39about the deal. Not happy with it? Game's gone?
13:43Yeah, game's gone, isn't it? Yeah, I mean, I think it means David Montgomery's buying Julio
13:48NCISO. So with what's happened with the news coming out this week about Reach and all that.
13:54But yeah, it's just odd, isn't it? Just Chelsea have bought him. Why does it have to be a holding
13:58group? It's all very bizarre. Yeah.
14:01Yeah. Wag me, I'll be buying me next or something. I don't know.
14:06But yeah, very odd. Yeah, just bizarre.
14:09Very odd indeed. 21st century football for you. Well, this Sunday's trip to Everton will be a
14:16historic one for the Seagulls. Herzl's men will be the first team to take on the Toffees in a
14:20competitive match at the newly opened Hill Dickinson Stadium, which I don't think I'll ever get used to
14:24saying, to be honest. The Hill Dickinson Stadium is the new home for Everton after the Toffees departed
14:29Goodison Park at the end of last season. It should be a great occasion, Darren, especially for the
14:36Everton fans. I'm sure the team will be ready to go in front of their supporters, especially after
14:40their defeat at Leeds on Monday night, which caught a little bit of controversy.
14:45Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, Everton are going to be seriously fired up for this one and they're going
14:50to want to, hook or buck, want to get a victory in their new stadium for their opening game. Herzl has
14:57said it's a challenge that they're looking forward to and they don't want to go there and be the nice
15:03team and allow it to happen. They're fully prepared to go there and do what they need to do to
15:09hopefully get the win themselves because Brighton need to get their season up and running as well.
15:14But yeah, it looks as though it's going to be a fantastic stadium. When I covered Everton last
15:19season, I arrived quite early and I had a look around the Docklands and where the new stadium is
15:27going to be. And it looks really impressive. It's so, so nice the way they've designed it and
15:33developed it. And I think with a full crowd and the full, you know, all the Evertonians in there
15:38as well, it's going to be going to be some atmosphere and it's some stage to, you know,
15:44host a host of Premier League football. So yeah, looking, looking forward to it. But in terms of team
15:49news, Jack Hinchelwood missed the Fulham game, but he's been training full on this week. So he's,
15:55he's an option. Carlos Beliba, he came through 60 minutes after his knee injury preseason against
16:00Fulham with no ill effects. So he should be good to go. I don't think the Greek lads are going to
16:07be involved. They're still sort of getting up to speed. It's mixed messages on those. Sometimes he'll
16:13say, oh, they've got an injury and other times he'll say that they're adapting. So, so I, they,
16:19they played half an hour for the under 21s in midweek, but I'd be amazed if they're part of the
16:24matchday squad for this, for Everton, similar with Tommy Watson as well. I asked him about Tommy Watson
16:31as well today. And he said he could be in contention for the Everton game, but probably more likely
16:38midweek against Oxford in, in the, in the League Cup could be a time for Tommy Watson to make his
16:44debut as well. Well, yeah, we can brilliantly segue on to that Carabao Cup game. Wednesday
16:50night sees the Seagulls travel to Mark Dunford's Oxford United, no less.
16:56In the second round of the competition that everybody wants to win the Carabao Cup.
17:01At the time of recording the UCIT 20th in the championship, having lost their first two games
17:05of the season. Um, how do you see this one going Henry? Um, do you think the Carabao Cup will be
17:10a priority for having the season? Um, and do we expect that seller to make wholesale changes for
17:15this one? It seems to be part of the course of Premier League teams to make 11 changes in the
17:19Carabao Cup. Yeah, it seems like that, doesn't it? But I do think from the way that Fabian Herzl has
17:26been speaking in these sort of fans forums and, and also just speaking to people around the club
17:32and also who follow the club, it seems like Brighton are quite keen to get their comeuppance
17:37or at least their own back against Crystal Palace, who obviously got the FA Cup and community shield.
17:44So as we've seen with the, um, you know, the top six sides, they didn't win the FA Cup or the Carabao
17:52Cup. So it, it does leave a lot to be desired and Brighton will be looking at these sort of competitions
17:58and, and trying to get as far obviously as they can. Um, I think that yeah, Oxford obviously beat
18:03Colchester United 1-0 in their first round to set this one up, but it should be pretty straightforward.
18:09And, um, it'd be nice as an Albion fan to see Brighton go for this Cup. I think that that would
18:16be a nice way to, uh, yeah, nice way to establish themselves. They've obviously established themselves
18:22as a top 10 Premier League side, and it's just about moving forward now and, uh, trying to, uh,
18:28trying to basically do the same as, as their rivals and, and win a cup and, and keep themselves in the
18:34mix of that. Um, but yeah, we'll see in terms of players that could play like Derwin said, it's been
18:40a bit weird with the Greek lads, Kostoulos and Simas. I wonder if they'll be able to make a little feature
18:46in this one, having the fact that they did feature in that opening Premier League two under 21s game
18:53against West Bromwich Albion, uh, which Bryson won 4-0. Both players played about the last half an hour
18:59of that match. Um, we've also got the likes of Harry Howe, who featured in pre-season. He's a,
19:05a 17 year old attacker that's been looking really promising. And Fabian Herzler even gave him his, uh,
19:11first proper start last season. So he's obviously got a lot of confidence in him going sort of more
19:17defensively. If you have a look at the likes of Jason Steele, who featured a lot in that pre-season,
19:23he's been pretty sharp. He's had a lot of game time, really, probably more than Bart Verbruggen
19:28in that, uh, pre-season. So I can see him starting as well in that midweek one. And then also you've got
19:35Diego Coppola, who's the centre back, who's likely to get some minutes, who looked really
19:41strong as well in those, in those games, you know, before Brighton kicked off their
19:46Premier League campaign. He even got a goal and, uh, yeah, he's a proper attacking presence.
19:51I can see him eventually being the Lewis Dunk replacement. Um, and like Dara mentioned as well,
19:57Tommy Watson, who potentially scored one of the most expensive goals in, uh, in football last season,
20:04when he got that goal in the playoff finals to get Sunderland into the Premier League, which was
20:10fantastic. Uh, and maybe also Jack Hinchwood, if for some reason he doesn't make a little feature
20:16against Everton. So yeah, like you say, Matt, there'll be some, there'll be some noticeable
20:20changes, but fingers crossed from an Albion fans' perspective, not Mark's, but from an Albion fans'
20:26perspective that Brighton breeze past this one and, um, yeah, do the business.
20:30I just hope no, no Oxford United player goes in a little bit too hard on a Brighton player.
20:35Like, uh, they don't forget it. They still bring up that Jay Williams tackle now. Jesus.
20:40Oh yeah. Yeah. Move on. Um, um, yeah. Have you watched much, much, much of you so far this season?
20:48Mark, have you got any insight that we could potentially know? I know you've got your
20:51cricket in Crawley town, but we occupy most of your time. No, I haven't seen much of them.
20:55I saw the highlights of the whole game when they lost three, two on Saturday. It looked like a bit
20:58of a barn burner, but, uh, yeah, no, they've got some good players. Branigan's a particularly good
21:03player. Um, but it depends. I mean, Oxford might not, Oxford aren't going to win the Carabao Cup.
21:08They're obviously going to be bottom end of the championship this year. So whether they
21:12make changes as well, it could be, they could open the door for Brighton just to have quite
21:16an easy run out. But you never know. You see, you see these teams, um, they might come out and think,
21:22would we need a win to give us a boost in the league? And they might go full strength and
21:26shock Brighton if Brighton take their foot off the gas a little bit. So it's, it's going to be
21:30interesting, but, um, yeah, always nice visiting the three-sided stadium at Oxford for Brighton. So
21:36yeah, it should be good. Not for much longer though. I believe that they are going to be
21:40building a fourth stand, I think. They are. Wow. They're going to the new, yeah, new stadium.
21:44Very nice. The, uh, pictures I've seen of it, the artist's impression. So yeah,
21:48I don't know when that comes in, but yeah, hopefully it'll be a really nice, uh, new stadium.
21:53Yeah, absolutely. And now we'll take a look at all the latest goings on at Crawley Town,
21:57who picked up their first league two-point of the season with a one-on draw at home and two
22:00MK Dons on Tuesday evening. Adie, Adiemo gave Crawley the lead on the stroke of half-time.
22:05The first goals, uh, the Dons have conceded in the league, but Luke Offord's second-half
22:08header clinched the visitors a point. Um, for all intents and purposes, it sounded like it was,
22:13um, quite a good performance for the Reds, Mark. Um, how did Scott Lindsay see things, um,
22:17against his old club? Yeah, he was absolutely boring. The most boring he's been this year.
22:22Obviously they've had a torrid start losing three of their, their first three league games and
22:26then going out of the Carabao Cup. But, um, no, he was really, he said he was really proud of them
22:31afterwards. Um, and he said he thought the biggest compliment was that MK Dons actually
22:36changed their shape during the game to try and cope with Crawley. Cause I mean, Lindsay suggested
22:41that Crawley are the first team to really go at MK Dons this season. Um, cause they hadn't
22:46let in a goal before this game, MK Dons. So, um, no, he's, I think he was really pleased. And he said
22:52overall, they probably deserve more than potentially deserve more than a point. Uh,
22:57Paul Warren was very complimentary of Crawley as well. But, um, like Lindsay said, MK Dons,
23:04you look at the players they've got, they've, um, they're buying players above the level above league
23:09two. So you'd expect MK Dons to be in the mix this year. Um, and you look at the start Crawley
23:15have had, they've had quite a tough start against crew who they played Saturday. I know we're going to
23:18get onto that. Yeah. But I'd Scott Lindsay's not going to change the way he plays and he's going
23:23to go for every game. They haven't had, I mean, they had 15 shots, I think on goal on Tuesday night,
23:31six on target and only scored the one. But at some point, I think we've said it every year,
23:36I think that's Crawley have had a slow start last few years. Um, but we say at some point,
23:42somebody, something's going to click and somebody's going to get a battering and hopefully that comes
23:45sooner rather than later, but really good signs from Tuesday night.
23:48And we'll go score, uh, Adie Emo has been one of the standout players of Crawley so far this season.
23:54And Lindsay was Folsom in his praise of the forward and his post-match interview. And what did he have
23:58to say about the, uh, the former Millwall man, Mark? Yeah. He said, I've been pleased with Adie
24:03because one thing we can criticize him for is his inconsistency in his performances. He's played four
24:08on the bounce now, and he's actually performed really well in all of them. And he said he rinsed,
24:12rinsed the, um, MK Dons left back in the first 20 minutes, three or four times,
24:16he got there on the sides of him. And then they had to make a change. And he said he thought he had
24:19a really good night. And I, it made me think of when it was August, no, so July 2023, it would
24:28have been when Adie Emo was playing as a trialist at East Grinstead in a friend preseason friendly.
24:34And nobody had sort of seen or heard of him. It was his first game. And I remember thinking,
24:38who's this kid? Uh, like that, come on. And, um, I spoke to Lindsay after I said,
24:43who was that guy? Because they don't normally give away who trialists are during that thing.
24:47And he told me who he was. And I looked back at the quotes and he said,
24:50this kid's going to be special. And he's now one of, we were discussing yesterday,
24:54weren't we, Matt? He's one of the longest serving players. Um, apart from Dion Conroy,
24:59Jack Rolls, Joy McKenna, Adie Emo and Harry Forster, I think are the, or five sort of long
25:06serving Crawley players now. And he's, he's really good. He's had been a bit unlucky with,
25:11um, uh, with injuries, but I really like him when he's on form. He's a joy to watch and he skips
25:19past plays. He's got such a good turn of pace, good finisher as well. And I, one of my best memories
25:24of the promotion winning season is the, um, when he scored the winner against Notts County
25:29in, um, uh, at the Broadfield stadium. I just remember the atmosphere that night and
25:33that result actually gave him a real kick on and just before they were getting into the playoffs.
25:38And it was a key result and he was part of that. So, uh, no, glad, glad, glad to see him scoring.
25:44And he looks like he's going to be one of the first names on the team sheet in current form.
25:49Yeah. Long may it continue. Um, from one forward to another,
25:52Kaheem Dixon made his Crawley debut in the draw with MK Dons. The Jamaica International has joined
25:57the Reds on a season long line from Charlton Athletic. And it sounds like, um, Lindsay was pretty
26:01pleased with what he saw from Dixon and his first start for the Reds.
26:05Yeah. Yeah. He came on as a sub at crew, didn't he? But then he, yeah, I, when I saw Scott on
26:11Monday for the preview for the MK Dons game, I said, I heard he was pretty good. And he said,
26:17yeah. And I said, I assume he's starting tomorrow night. He said, yeah, he's not,
26:19he doesn't know yet. Don't tell him, but yeah. Um, so he, uh, yeah, he, apparently very,
26:28very impressive. And he just, uh, Lindsay said he was just, he just thought he was absolutely
26:32excellent. He carries the ball so well. And he said, he's probably should have gotten the score
26:36sheet, but otherwise, but it was quite interesting. He said, um, uh, Nathan Jones texts him and, uh,
26:44this Scott Lindsay texted him a couple of weeks back and said, this is not a blanket text to a load
26:49of managers. It's mainly you because I know he's going to come here and get improved and get coached.
26:54And I think he'll do well for you and your team. So Lindsay obviously took that on board,
26:59watched him a few times, looked at highlights of him. And he was so impressed. He said,
27:04he can create that ball carrying, but he can create that ball playing carrier player that probably we
27:09haven't got in the number 10 or number eight positions. And he carries the ball really well
27:13and he's confident. So hopefully I, I said to, um, a couple of the media guys that were crawly,
27:19I said, is he going to be another Carl and her and Grant who came on loan from Charlton and was
27:25outstanding for Crawley and then got a big money move to Huddersfield when they were there and that.
27:30So, um, maybe he's another one of those days. He's obviously rated really highly. Um, and Nathan
27:35Jones, so obviously not quite ready for championship yet, but a season in league two will probably put
27:41him in really good stead, especially under the, like you said, he knows he's going to get coached well
27:45by Scott Lindsay. Yeah, absolutely. And I watched a bit of the game on Sky Sports Plus and I think
27:49Crawley has unearthed a bit of a gem there. I think he'll, he's one to excite the fans, I think.
27:54Yeah. Um, three days prior to that draw with MK Dons, uh, Crawley suffered a one nil defeat at
28:00early league two pay setters crew Alexandra. Tommy O'Reilly netted what proved to be Alex's winner
28:04on 23 minutes. Um, how did Lindsay assess the Reds performance of the railway win mark? And, um,
28:10considering crew thumped Fleetwood 4-1 in midweek, on paper, it seems like it was quite an
28:14impressive shame from the Reds. Yeah, it does. He, um, he said the first half, I think it was crew
28:21got the better of them with, um, in terms of winning second balls, et cetera. And, um, but in
28:27the second half, he said they were much, much better and they probably should have got at least a point
28:31out of it. Um, he said he was really proud of them. I mean, to lose only one nil to crew who are
28:36obviously one of the early pay, uh, pay setters. Um, but yeah, you look at the stats, I mean,
28:43Crawley had 54% possession. They had 16 shots compared to cruise 14, four on target compared
28:49to cruise two. So the fit, the stats show that they probably dominated and probably
28:53deserve something out of the game. But Lindsay did say afterwards that we just can't remain
28:58where we are. We can't keep on losing when we're playing like this. So like we just said just a minute
29:03ago, it's something's going to click and yeah, hopefully this weekend sooner rather than later.
29:09But, um, they had chances against crew. Uh, so yeah, I mean, it would have been a bit of a statement
29:15victory, I think, or if they've got something at crew, but they've improved the game. They're
29:20improved slowly improving. So hopefully we'll see, see them get on a bit of a run now.
29:26Well, Saturday saw Scott Lindsay take charge of his hundredth game for Crawley. Uh,
29:29Lindsay has, it's safe to say had a bit of a rollercoaster ride as red manager from saving
29:34them from certain relegation in 2023 to leading them to an unlikely promotion via the playoffs
29:38in 2024 to leaving the club and then returning and almost saving them from relegation again last
29:44season. Um, yeah, he's had quite some time of it, hasn't he, Mark? Um, you chatted to Lindsay
29:48about this milestone before the MK Dons game. Um, how has he surmised his 100 games in charge
29:53of the Reds? He must be delighted to be a centurion, no doubt.
29:56He is. He said he didn't, he didn't realize that he'd achieved that sort of thing. And I
30:00don't think many people at Crawley did. I think it was somebody at crew that sort of highlighted
30:04the fact that it was his 100th game. So, um, yeah, no, he was, when he said, he said he just
30:10talked about how much he absolutely loved the club and he feels that this is his club. He's
30:15obviously got an affinity with the fans, with the staff and everyone, everyone loves him there.
30:20Even when they're losing first three games, there was a few moments like you always get,
30:24but most people are like in Scott, we trust. And yeah, he just loves, loves Crawley town.
30:30And he did say, obviously there's been some really difficult times. And I asked him where he sees
30:36what, where is, where's the club going to be in a hundred more games under him kind of thing. And
30:40all he hopes for is a bit of stability. And there's clearly obviously a bit of a dig at wag me here,
30:46because he said, we just want stability on the pitch and off the pitch on the pitch. He does
30:52we can't keep having wholesale changes to squads, which they had over the last three seasons,
30:57three summers. So he said, Raph Khalili, the new owner, um, they, their sort of ambitions align,
31:04I think, and they want to go up the leagues, but it's got to be with stability. So yes,
31:08there will be people that leave. There will be people who join, but it can't be in the numbers that
31:12have been in the last few seasons. So, but he, yeah, he's delighted to be here. And I mean,
31:18he signed a three year contract. I think it was when he, when he came back and you, unless,
31:25unless somebody big comes in with an offer, he can't refuse, you expect to see Scott here and
31:30hopefully bring success to Crawley for the next, um, next couple of seasons.
31:35Yeah. Here's to a hundred more for Mr. Lindsay. Uh, finally, this Saturday,
31:39sees Crawley entertain 13th placed Tranmere Rovers. Rovers are unbeaten in their first
31:44three league two games, haven't picked up one win and two draws. Um, it sounds like it'll be
31:48another tough test for the Reds, Mark, but they'll no doubt be buoyed after Tuesday's result.
31:52How do you see this one going? Yeah, I think I'd like, I think this is the one which is going to
31:57kick properly kickstart the season. MK Dons has sort of turned the ignition on and I think then
32:02they'll put their foot on the throttle against Tranmere. Uh, yeah, like he said again,
32:08after the crew game, they just can't continue not winning when they're playing quite well. And
32:13with a real, yeah, Newport is a shame they didn't beat Newport at home, but I think they've just
32:17got to make the Broadfield stadium, the fortress now. And just the fans get behind everyone.
32:23It is a difficult place to go. Lindsay said that, um, about MK Don for MK Dons. Nobody likes going to
32:29the Broadfield stadium to play. He didn't like going there when he was a manager of Swindon,
32:33when he was at forest green as a system manager and that always difficult. So that's what they've got to do.
32:38They've got quite a good record against Tranmere. I think that in this season,
32:41they got promoted, I think possibly beat them twice and certainly beat them. I think it was
32:45three nil away from home that season. Great run they had in the second half of the season.
32:50So hopefully you can draw on those, those experiences with the players and, um, yeah,
32:55really go for it. And they've got a few injuries still. Cashman is now starting. Um, he's back. Um,
33:02Carl Scott, we need to get an update on him. He, I think he, Lindsay sees him as a keeper.
33:09So hopefully some players coming back. He did say that there might be a new signing before
33:13Saturday as well. So it'd be interesting what area that's in, um, as well, because
33:18Shamanga not quite firing yet, it'd be interesting to see if he swaps him out and puts Louis Flower up top.
33:25So, uh, yeah, I think there's quite a few selection things, uh, for Lindsay to go through, but I,
33:31I don't want to put the kiboshes on it, but I can't see anything other than Crawley win this weekend.
33:35Well, we'll come to that in a minute. Um, as ever, we will wrap up with score predictions and we will
33:39start with Brighton, who, as we said, travel to Everton on Sunday. Darren, um, what do you reckon?
33:45I, I reckon Brighton might have a tough time of things at Everton on Sunday.
33:51I'm a bit more optimistic. I think, um, I think as tough as it's going to be,
33:55I think it is going to be a very tough match, but I liked the way Brighton played against Fulham,
33:59and I think they'll go there with a point, point to prove. So I'm going to go with an optimistic
34:042-1 victory at the new stage. Oh, Henry, what do you make of that then?
34:11Um, I think that's very optimistic. I'm just, the only thing I worry about is Brighton go to pieces
34:18if they concede an early goal, especially under Fabian Ursula. Um, I think it's going to be 2-0
34:24to Everton. I think that Everton will score early and Brighton will have a similar sort of game where
34:30they're providing good opportunities, but I don't think they're quite going to be able to hit the
34:35mark and then they'll concede in that second half.
34:37What do you reckon, Mark?
34:39Oh, I think it will be an Everton win this weekend. I think being that first big game at home and
34:46I just see Jack Grealish. Is he, I don't know if he's fit or not, but yeah, I think he's going to
34:51make himself an instant hero at the, what is it called? The Hill Dickinson Stadium.
34:56That's the one, yes.
34:57It's a good one, isn't it?
34:59Yeah.
34:59So call it the Docklands or something like that.
35:01Yeah, yeah, yeah.
35:04But anyway, yeah, I think it'll be 2-1. I think Brighton will score, but I think it's going to
35:08be a tough one for them because if they've got the win against Fulham, they would have
35:11given them a bit more, but I think they might just be a little bit apprehensive going into this one.
35:16So yeah, Everton 2-1.
35:18Yeah, couldn't agree more. We'll look ahead to Wednesday.
35:20Oxford v Brighton in the Carabao Cup. We'll start with you, Henry, this time.
35:25Sounds like you're expecting quite an easy night for the Seagulls.
35:31I really hope I don't eat my words because that would be such a bad start to the season,
35:36but I can see it being 3-1. I can see, I don't think...
35:40Yeah, agreed.
35:44I feel like Oxford will have a bit of threat because Brighton will put quite a few youngsters on,
35:50but I can't see Brighton losing this one. Touch wood. So yeah, we'll see, but I do think it will
35:56be quite a breeze.
35:57A rebuttal from Mr. Dumford.
36:02I've got to go for a 2-1 Oxford United win. It doesn't go any extra time, does it? It's
36:07straight to penalties in the Carabao Cup. Yeah, so either that or Oxford to win on penalties after a
36:131-1 draw.
36:14Deren, speak a bit of sense then. We've got a bit too biased opinions there. We need someone
36:19with a call, Ed.
36:20I'm going to go a much-changed Brighton team, but I think they'll have too much for Oxford.
36:242-0, I think.
36:252-0, excellent stuff. And finally, as we mentioned, Crawley Town-Tranmere Rovers.
36:30And I reckon, as you said, Mark, this could be the team that Crawley spanked,
36:34although I did say that last week again about MK Dons, so maybe I just won't say it.
36:37But I have now, so never mind.
36:40Yeah, I'm going to go for a 3-1 Crawley Town win. Yeah, I think, I don't know, I think Dixon
36:49is going to be, he's going to pull the strings in this one, get a couple of goals and maybe
36:53set up for Louis Flower to score as well.
36:56Yeah, Dixon does look class. What do you reckon, Deren? Are we going for another Crawley win?
37:01Well, every time I predict a Crawley win, they lose. So if I predict that they lose, then they might
37:06win. But I think I'm going to go with a solid draw. So I'm going to sit on the fence on this one.
37:13And finally, Henry, what do you reckon?
37:16They get battered. No, I'm joking. I think I'm the same as Deren. I think it will be a draw,
37:22but I'm going to say 1-1 just to be quirky and interesting and different.
37:28Would they take a draw, Mark? I mean, they need to start.
37:31I think that'd be a disappointment after the MK Dons result and performance.
37:35I think a draw would be a disappointment for him. But as long as they're not losing,
37:40that's the main thing at the moment, I think. But Scott Lindsay is all about performances.
37:45The result, yeah, obviously he's disappointed when they lose or draw, but he's all about the performance.
37:50If the performance is good, then he's happy because he knows the process is working and it will get,
37:55it will change in terms of results.
37:57Yeah, I'm sure a win is not far off for Crawley Town. Well, thank you very much for joining us this week,
38:02chaps. Brilliant as ever. Don't forget you can catch up with all the latest sports news covering
38:06everything we've talked about today at sussexworld.co.uk forward slash sport.
38:10Thank you very much for listening and or watching, and we will see you all very, very soon.
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