- 4 months ago
Matt Pole is joined by Brighton writer Derren Howard, and Crawley Town expert Mark Dunford.
There were contrasting emotions for our professional clubs this week as Brighton enjoyed a fantastic afternoon at Chelsea in the Premier League, while Crawley Town will want to forget their home League Two clash with Barrow.
This week, we reflect on Albion’s glorious trip to west London, pick over the bones of Crawley’s home defeat to Barrow, plus bring you all the latest team news from both clubs ahead of their respective league fixtures.
There were contrasting emotions for our professional clubs this week as Brighton enjoyed a fantastic afternoon at Chelsea in the Premier League, while Crawley Town will want to forget their home League Two clash with Barrow.
This week, we reflect on Albion’s glorious trip to west London, pick over the bones of Crawley’s home defeat to Barrow, plus bring you all the latest team news from both clubs ahead of their respective league fixtures.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome to another episode of the Goalmouth Action Podcast, where we take a look at all the latest goings on at Brian Hove, Abbey and Crawley Town.
00:06I'm Matt Poulte and this week I'm joined by Brighton, writer Darren Howard and Crawley.
00:10Welcome to another episode of the Goalmouth Action Podcast, where we take a look at all the latest goings on at Brian, Hove, Abbey and Crawley Town.
00:16I'm Matt Poulte and this week I'm joined by Brighton, writer Darren Howard and Crawley Town expert Mark Dunford.
00:21There are contrasting emotions for our professional clubs this week as Brighton enjoyed a fantastic afternoon at Chelsea in the Premier League,
00:27while Crawley Tan will want to forget their home League 2 clash with Barrow.
00:32This week, we'll reflect on Albion's glorious trip to West London,
00:35pick over the bones of Crawley's home defeat to Barrow,
00:38plus bring you all the latest news from both clubs
00:40ahead of their respective league fixtures this weekend.
00:43You can read all the stories we are talking about in videos and pictures
00:45online at sussexworld.co.uk forward slash 4.
00:49But before we begin, everyone at Sussex World was shocked and saddened
00:52at the passing of Chichester City player Billy Viger last week.
00:55My thoughts are with Billy's family and friends,
00:58with everyone at Chichester City and with all those affected
01:01by the tragic incident at Wiggate and Finchley.
01:05Brighton came from behind to beat an ill-disciplined Chelsea side
01:07who had a player sent off for the second Saturday running.
01:10Substitutes Danny Welbeck and Maxim de Kuiper scored during 11 minutes
01:14of added time as the visitors profited from Trevor Chalmers' 53rd-minute red card.
01:19It was just a fantastic afternoon all round, wasn't it, for the Seagulls?
01:23I don't think they could have asked for much more, Darren,
01:24who recorded their third win in a row against the Blues, I believe.
01:28Suddenly that Seagulls play out for us.
01:30It was just, what more could they want?
01:33Yeah, the travelling Brighton fans, they really enjoyed the afternoon.
01:38Playing against Chelsea is one of the games that Brighton look forward to these days
01:42because of the recent transfer history between the clubs.
01:46So the fans get really pumped up for that one.
01:49And they were, you know, rewarded for, at Stamford Bridge, a brilliant second-half display.
01:55Chelsea were decent in the first half and probably deservedly took the lead.
02:03A good header from Fernandes.
02:06But yeah, Brighton, the game really did turn on the sending off.
02:10And it probably was the sending off.
02:11I don't think there were too many complaints from the Chelsea point of view.
02:16From that one, it was a really clumsy challenge.
02:20Diego Gomez was bearing through on goal.
02:23Chalmers was the last man.
02:24And it was, they got in a bit of a tangle and he had to go, basically.
02:28So, but it's never easy when, you know, you've got to break these teams down.
02:33You know, Chelsea have got solid, you know, they've got solid players.
02:36They've spent almost, what, two billion since Todd Bowie was there.
02:40And you just sort of think, well, you know, they look decent.
02:44But where's, you know, where's two billion gone?
02:46It's just, it's quite mad when you look at the team.
02:50Most of it's Brighton, to be honest, probably.
02:52But it's, but Brighton took full advantage.
02:57And I thought Herzella was very clever in how they took advantage of the ten men, Chelsea.
03:03Usually Brighton play with the right-footed on the left and then a left-footed on the right.
03:10And they cut inside for the wingers.
03:13But he changed it.
03:14He put Minte on the left.
03:16And then Gruda came on, on the right flank as well.
03:20And it really stretched, stretched the Chelsea defence.
03:23So they, it really made a big impact, that, that move to create more space where Brighton could exploit it.
03:31And so pleased for Danny Welbeck.
03:33He came off the bench.
03:34He struggled this season.
03:36Herzella said that he hasn't been at his best.
03:38He's, he's, prior to Chelsea, hadn't scored this season.
03:43And, you know, question marks were being asked of him, you know.
03:47And as soon as you're sort of 33, 34, you have a couple of bad games, it's easy to say, oh, he's, he's finished, you know.
03:54And, but it's, the way he took his goals, it just shows there's plenty left in, in his locker.
04:00And I was really pleased.
04:02It was a lovely header, wasn't it, that first one.
04:04And, and the second one, easy to, just sort of go.
04:09He could have gone over, couldn't he, try and get a penalty or whatever.
04:11With these, yes, and such a good finish.
04:14And, yeah, the celebrations were amazing.
04:16Loved it.
04:18They were, weren't they?
04:19Yeah, yeah.
04:20To do that in front of the, you know, the Brighton fans as well.
04:24And he's got, he's got a habit of scoring against Chelsea at Stamford as well.
04:27He's picked up quite a few, a few goals there.
04:30So, so, yeah, I'm, you know, Chelsea would love a strike like Danny Weld, but, but they
04:38had, they, obviously they had, you know, Sanchez on the pitch, Moises Caicedo, Kukurea,
04:43Jao Pedro, and Van Hecke had a great tussle with, with Jao Pedro as well.
04:47Because they had that, before Pedro left, Van Hecke and Pedro had that training ground
04:53bust up, didn't they, before, before Pedro went to Chelsea.
04:57And this was the first time that they played each other.
04:59And there were some good tweets, sort of posts on social media showing every duel between
05:06the two.
05:07And Van Hecke came, came out quite well in, in, in that.
05:11So, so, yeah, great afternoon all round for Brighton.
05:14You kind of mentioned it there as well, Darren, in your answer.
05:17How much credit does Herzog deserve for that performance?
05:21The substitutes worked trick, bringing on not just Welbeck and De Kuypuk to score goals,
05:25but Matt Stiffra and Brian Gruder to provide assists.
05:28We all know that it was rightly reported that he was under a bit of pressure before this
05:32game, but I'm sure that's probably not the case now.
05:35Yes.
05:36Yeah.
05:36It's, whether he was under, yeah, I'm sure he wasn't under any pressure internally,
05:41but some fans were, were getting on, on his back.
05:45There's, there's been a, a group of fans who have unfairly, I think, sort of criticised
05:51the style of play and the tactics.
05:53And they're like, well, what is Brighton's style these days?
05:55And it's, and I think he's flexible, you know, you, you, you, you know, people like
06:00Ruben Ameren are criticised for, you know, having a style of play, but, you know, just
06:05being stuck to it and not prepared to change.
06:08But I think Herzella has, has adapted.
06:11He's had to, because they've had so many injuries and he's, he's a manager that will
06:16get the best out of who's available at the time.
06:19And I think he makes smart decisions as well from, from the bench.
06:23And this one against Chelsea was, you know, very, very good the way he changed the tactics
06:30and also the personnel that he introduced into the, into the lineup as well.
06:35And to have Gruda get the assist to Kuiper, his first goal for the club as well, since
06:39joining from Club Bruges, that was a nice header as well.
06:43Good, sort of glancing, glancing header.
06:45And then obviously Welbeck as well.
06:47So, so yeah, he's, his in-game management at Chelsea was, you know, absolutely spot on.
06:53And, and I hope all of those fans who were giving him the stick will give him the credit
06:59as, as well, uh, that he deserves.
07:02And, you know, it's been interesting this week as well, because his name's cropped up
07:06being linked to the Man United job.
07:09Yes.
07:09You know, he's also been linked as sort of top jobs in Germany as well.
07:13So, so I think there's a lot of people who really appreciate him.
07:18And I, and I think it's, uh, and I hope the fans realise, you know, they've got a very
07:24talented young, young manager there and he needed a bit of time to, you know, find his
07:29feet.
07:30Um, but I think he's, you know, he's, he's, he's, he does, he's, he's, he's doing a very
07:35good job.
07:35Yeah.
07:38You wouldn't touch that United job with a barge ball, would you, if you were him?
07:43Well, I don't understand where that, maybe five, 10 years ago, but I don't see what the
07:47attraction is because you're going to be massively scrutinised.
07:50You'll be worse than it is at Brighton.
07:52And it just seems like a completely toxic atmosphere at the moment.
07:55I'm assuming that, well, I mean, we can only speculate, but I'm guessing that that wouldn't
07:59hold any appeal to him.
08:00It must be hard because I'm guessing United would throw money at him and probably wouldn't
08:04have the same amount of resources that he would have at Brighton.
08:06But from a, from a, what's the word, a career perspective, Darren, I don't see the appeal.
08:11I don't know how you see it.
08:13Um, it's, yeah, it's one of those, isn't it?
08:16It was obviously to, to, to go to one of the glamour clubs, the top, you know, it would
08:20be, would be appealing for any manager.
08:22And, and I, you'd think most managers would think, oh, I could be the one who would, who
08:26would be able to turn that, turn that around.
08:29Um, but probably Amorin thought that, and then you, you're in it and then you realise the
08:34size of the task that the players that they have, they just don't have as strong a squad
08:39as, as you know, it's going to take them probably four or five more transfer windows
08:43before, before they're able to compete at the real top end, if they're allowed to spend
08:48that money with, you know, with PSR and everything.
08:51So, so yeah, it's, it's a funny, funny position at, at Manchester United.
08:55Hersela was speaking on TalkSport yesterday.
08:58He was asked about the position at Man United and he just said, look, I have full respect
09:03for Ruben Amorin and it's really not the right time to talk about it.
09:06He said, I've got a lot of work to do at Brighton.
09:08Um, so yeah, and he, he dealt with the question quite well.
09:14Um, yeah, I, yeah, you could see the appeal.
09:18It would be, you know, to, for any manager you'd want to, he's ambitious as well.
09:22He'd want to go to, you know, one of the big clubs, I'm sure at one, one point, but, um,
09:28but yeah, maybe I'd probably say Glasner or, um, um, and only at Bournemouth.
09:34They're probably higher, higher on the list than, than Hersela, I should think.
09:40I'm sure most Brighton fans are probably desperate for Glasner to leave anyway.
09:44It doesn't matter who's United.
09:45Just get out of the ballot.
09:47That would suit them.
09:50Well, as Darren rightly mentioned, one player who stood out for Brighton was, uh,
09:53winger Yankouba Minter, who gave Chelsea fullback Mark Kukurea a torrid time,
09:58which is always nice to see.
09:59His power, speed and skill caused the Spain international all sorts of trouble and ultimately
10:03led to Welbeck's equaliser.
10:05Um, it was a great performance for him, wasn't it, Darren?
10:08Um, would that mean to heap too much pressure on him, but have Brighton unearthed their next
10:12superstar?
10:14Yes.
10:15Yeah.
10:16That's it.
10:17There you go.
10:18I'll say he is an absolute, um, he, he's obviously still very young.
10:25Uh, they bought him for 30 million from, um, from Newcastle.
10:28Uh, and Eddie Howe did not want him to leave.
10:32He, he, he knew the potential that Yankouba Minter had, uh, Newcastle were under pressure
10:37at the time with, um, with PSR.
10:40Um, and they, they had to sell and it was Brighton who nipped in, um, 30 million.
10:46Uh, not many people knew about him really.
10:49He'd never, never made the first team at Newcastle.
10:52He'd been on loan at PSV under Arnie Slott.
10:55Had a, had a, struggled in the first half of the season, in his first season at PSV.
10:59Uh, and then he, he did really well in the second half of the season, played really well
11:03under, under Slott.
11:05Um, and Matt Swiffer as well, the Brighton player was part of that team.
11:08Um, and yeah, and again, he, he looked, when he first came at Brighton, you, you, you could
11:14see that there's, you know, there's a player there.
11:16He's full of, full of pace, um, and he's composed in front of goal as well.
11:21When he gets his chance, as he saw against Tottenham last week, he, he, he took that
11:25goal really, really well as well.
11:27But I think what Herzella has done well as well is, is how he's, um, adapted his game
11:35slightly.
11:35So he's now more, far more aware of his sort of defensive work as well that he has
11:39to do as well.
11:40So if you watch him live, he is, he's absolute machine.
11:44He's up and down, you know, that, that right flank, uh, doing his defensive work.
11:49And, and also when he gets the opportunity, he's more than capable.
11:53He's got the class and the ability, uh, to compose himself and then take, take the
11:57opportunities as well.
11:58So yes, I, I don't see any reason, barring injuries or, you know, he's only
12:0520 and I think the next couple of years, he can be fantastic.
12:09And I don't see any reason why he can't reach, you know, the very, very highest level.
12:13I think, I think he's, uh, yeah, heck of a player.
12:16Yeah.
12:17Yeah.
12:17Couldn't agree more.
12:18Um, can this result, uh, Stanford Bridge be a springboard for the Seagulls, Darren?
12:23It's a mighty, mighty impressive win, uh, to match their win over Man City at the start
12:27of the season.
12:27But is the onus now on Albion to perform like that week in, week out?
12:31Um, yeah, that's the challenge now, isn't it?
12:34So, so they've got a, you know, a pretty good record against the, uh, against the top
12:39six teams.
12:40Um, and, and I think that's, it suits Brighton style in, in some ways where the onus is on
12:45their, those teams to come out, uh, and attack, attack Brighton and, you know, which sometimes
12:50leaves gaps for them, Brighton to, to exploit where Brighton have struggled in the past as
12:55they did against Tottenham.
12:56Um, are the teams that really put them under pressure and, and go there to, to sort of
13:01deny them space and to, um, put them under pressure.
13:05And some of the teams that are mid table or lower mid table, they, they set up, especially
13:10at the Amex in a, in a low block and, you know, can you break us down?
13:13And that's where Brighton have sometimes struggled.
13:16But when teams come out to, to attack Brighton, that's when they seem to be at their best.
13:21So, so I think the next step is now is to have more consistency against the teams in
13:25and around them and, uh, uh, and the lower teams to see if they can break through, uh,
13:31these low blocks and get through these, these defensive teams, which, which they'll have
13:36a great chance to do that against Wolves probably.
13:38But then again, Wolves are at home as well.
13:40So, so they might have to come out, but, uh, and attack, but, but yeah, you're right.
13:45That that's exactly the next step that they need to take now to, if they are to, um, compete
13:51towards, you know, the, the top end.
13:54Yeah, absolutely.
13:55Well, you mentioning Wolves, Darren, means we can effortlessly segue into Sunday's game.
13:59Um, Wolves picked up their first point, uh, of the season on Saturday in a one-all draw
14:04at Spurs.
14:04Um, and as kind of, we alluded to, Darren, on paper, you'd say Brighton are clear favourites
14:08for this, but historically, this is the type of game the Seagulls struggle in.
14:12I'd cast your mind back to last season and that game against Ipswich.
14:15Um, how do you see this one going and what's the latest injury news from the Albion camp?
14:20Um, I think, I think bar that game against Tottenham, which was encouraging for Wolves,
14:25they've been all over the place at the start of the season, especially at home.
14:30I think I, I just saw a piece recently saying that they've, um, I think they conceded around
14:3610 goals in their first three matches.
14:39Um, so, so there's plenty there for, for Brighton to exploit.
14:42And I think Wolves, because they are at home, I don't think they will be able to sit back
14:47all the time.
14:48And I think Brighton should be able to pick them off, um, if they're at their best quite,
14:53quite comfortably.
14:54So, so yeah, hopefully it will be another good away day for Brighton.
14:58As we said, they need to start putting a good, a good run together if they are to compete
15:03at the top.
15:03And they have to go into this one looking at three points.
15:06I should think it's, it's going to be, um, uh, not going to be easy, but I think Brighton
15:11should have enough to, uh, to, to get the job done there.
15:15Uh, as far as injuries are concerned, it's only the three main ones, Jack Inchelwood with
15:18his ankle, Solly March and Adam Webster, the long-term absentees with their, with their
15:23knee issues.
15:24But other than that, I think Brighton are, um, uh, are all good to, good to go.
15:28So, um, so yeah, I'm going to, I'm going to confidently say that they should get three
15:33points at Wolves this weekend.
15:35Oh, confidently.
15:36Best of luck for Brighton at the weekend.
15:39We're moving on to, confidently, moving on to Pauley Town.
15:43First half goals from Josh Gordon and Isaac Fletcher gave Barrow a 2-1 victory at the
15:47Reds in League Two.
15:49Giraldo, if I can say his name, Badrami gave the hosts hope with his first goal for the
15:53club midway through the second half, but it ended in a sixth defeat in 10 league games
15:58for Scott Lindsay's side.
15:59Um, another disappointing one, Mark.
16:02Um, yeah, I'm running out of ways to say that, unfortunately.
16:05Sum that up for us, please.
16:06Yeah, it was, um, the first half cost them, basically.
16:09They were abysmal in the first half.
16:11It was one of the worst halves of 45 minutes of football I've seen from a Crawley Town side.
16:16That's not taking anything away from Barrow.
16:18They came to do a job and they did a really good job, certainly in the first half.
16:22Scott Lindsay said before the game that they would have to be inventive to try and break
16:27Barrow down, but Barrow came out to get an early goal and then probably defend.
16:35And they didn't get an early goal, but they did get a goal in the first half.
16:39I mean, they forced, I think it was five corners in the first 10 minutes, Barrow, which is ridiculous
16:45for an away side, and, um, they, uh, yeah, and Josh Gordon for Barrow was exceptional.
16:53He was so good.
16:55And we're going to come on to Crawley's striking woes in a bit.
16:59But if they could have somebody who has had the vision and the drive and the thing of Josh
17:06Gordon, he was superb.
17:08He scored the first goal, created the second.
17:10Um, he was clear, he was a man of the match for either side.
17:13And, um, yeah, but yeah, Crawley were just, they were slow in the first half and they just
17:21didn't really create anything.
17:22You know, part of that one moment where Dion Pereira went through and, um, it was like
17:27a half volley and he hit it so well, but it came off the inside of the post and any other
17:33day it would have rocketed into the other, the opposite corner or whatever, but it somehow
17:38went across the face of goal and went out for a goal kick.
17:40It was bizarre.
17:42Um, and yeah, if that had gone in, it would have been a completely different style.
17:46I'm sure Crawley would have gone on to win, but, uh, it was, yeah, they, yeah, the,
17:51the second goal just before the break was a real killer.
17:55Second half, Crawley were great.
17:57They were really, really good and sort of back to the old Scott Lindsay thing, but they
18:01just couldn't, well, they could break Barrow down, but they couldn't score.
18:04And it was, uh, it was, it ended up being a really frustrating afternoon, but it was,
18:10yeah, it was the first half that cost them.
18:12Um, but Barrow, to be fair to them, they came to do a job and they did it.
18:16And I was quite impressed with Barrow.
18:18I thought they were, they looked like a good side, but Crawley,
18:21he probably should, they had the chances to win it basically in the second half, but
18:26just couldn't, just couldn't score.
18:30Yeah.
18:30Well, um, we'll come on to the score in a minute, but you mentioned Lindsay's, um, you
18:34mentioned the first half, sorry, and it not being particularly good.
18:36Um, Lindsay gave a very frank assessment of the first half display against Barrow.
18:40Um, what were his words?
18:41Yeah.
18:42He basically said they didn't turn up.
18:44Um, cause he said in, in the preview, he said he wants them to come out like Zebedee and
18:49really go for it and really get the crowd going.
18:52They just didn't do that.
18:53And he said, if they didn't turn up, um, he said in the second half, they were good.
18:56But he said, I think it's easy.
18:58It's easy when you're two nil down to play better because the other team are just going
19:04to be happy with the two nil lead.
19:05So he said, we weren't present at all.
19:08We were slow with the ball.
19:09We worked on their defensive shape all week, how, how they'd block up.
19:13And one thing I said, literally all weekend, all week before they went out was to move
19:18the ball really quickly, but they didn't do that.
19:20And he said it was a wasted 45 minutes.
19:23You've got, Andy, you've got to play for 90 minutes, 95 minutes, 96 minutes, sometimes
19:27longer.
19:28We just weren't present.
19:29We just were, we were just out there just passing it left to right, sideways, backwards.
19:34It was safe, safe football.
19:36And when you're playing safe football, you're not going to score goals.
19:39So he was, he, he did seem a little bit like a broken man when he came into the press conference
19:43on, but I think, yes, he has to take some of the blame, but the players have to take a
19:49lot of the blame, I think, because he says he told them exactly what they needed to do
19:54to come out and really go for it.
19:56They just didn't do that.
19:57And I don't know what he was losing.
19:59They lost Adi Adeyemo quite early.
20:01He had to try, uh, substitute him through an injury.
20:04Um, Harry Forster came on, looked really good.
20:07He was probably Crawley's man of the match, which was, um, encouraging because he hasn't
20:11had a lot of minutes, but yeah.
20:14Yeah.
20:14Lindsay was, you could tell he was furious.
20:16I was watching him when in the first half, because I was frustrated watching Crawley and
20:21I was looking at the sky and he didn't seem to get angry.
20:24He just seemed like a man who didn't know what was going on.
20:29He's like, this is not what I told him to do.
20:32Um, and he just looked frustrated and just perplexed really.
20:37Yeah.
20:37I think I used that because I was doing live commentary on Saturday.
20:39I think I used the word perplexed a couple of times and that's why it was a perplexing
20:44performance.
20:45Well, also in his post-match, um, interview, as you alluded to Mark about the goal scoring
20:51issues, uh, Reds manager, Lindsay, bemoaned an invisible brick wall shielding Burroughs
20:56goal as the visitors kept Crawley at bay.
20:58Uh, but Rami eventually found the net, but, um, as you said, Mark, it was another frustrating
21:01afternoon in front of golf.
21:02The Reds, um, why have they struggled so badly in front of goal this season?
21:06You look at the strikers they've got, they're not bad strikers, are they?
21:10No, you've got, I mean, Harry McCurdy's playing up top now and he, he looks, he always looks
21:16like the only player that's going to create something or score at the moment.
21:19Uh, he, he, his movement's really good.
21:23It's just, I think the service has got a lot to do with why they're not scoring, but he's,
21:29uh, Harry McCurdy scored four goals, but they come in two games, those four goals.
21:33Uh, Shimanga scored that one goal against Swansea, um, which was not the case.
21:40The cleanest of goals.
21:41It was a bit of a scramble and he got a little touch on it, so it fell over the ball and
21:45it went in.
21:46Um, a goal's a goal.
21:48A goal's a goal.
21:49Doesn't matter how they're going.
21:50Ryan Loft, he scored against Aston Villa's 17-year-olds or whatever.
21:55Not to take anything away from that because it was a good performance that night, but
21:58he scored a good header against that team.
22:01But, I mean, Loft on Saturday, he could have had a hat-trick, if not more.
22:06There was one chance right at the end where he was a yard out and the ball was bouncing
22:10and it was an awkward high and there was a defender in front of him.
22:13But you've got, you've got to put it away from there.
22:16Um, but he had another chance where a header, the ball was bouncing around the box and the
22:21ball bounced perfectly for him to head and he could have headed it anywhere, but he headed
22:24it straight to the keeper.
22:26Um, I mean, you'd be more worried if they weren't creating chances.
22:30I mean, if you look at the stats on Saturday, they had 20 shots on goal and six of them were
22:35on target and it says two big chances on flash goals, but there were more than two big chances.
22:40There was, yeah, I think Josh Flint, uh, forced a brilliant save from the keeper and also hit
22:45the post.
22:46I think Harry Forster hit the post as well.
22:49I think they sort of hit the post, went into the side net and everybody thought he'd gone
22:53in and everybody was cheering because the net did that ripple thing.
22:56Well, that Raheem Sterling goal in the, uh, whatever World Cup against this league.
22:59Uh, it was like that.
23:01Um, but yeah, I don't know.
23:04Yeah.
23:04I don't know what it is.
23:05Is, is it just a confidence thing?
23:08Are the strikers not again?
23:09Are they hoping that there's neither Ryan Loft or Schumanger have had that 20, 30 goal
23:15season, but we remember Danilo Orsi hadn't had that before he joined Crawley and he had
23:21that golden season that effectively helped get them into the playoffs and ultimately promotion.
23:26I think that's what they're hoping for at the moment.
23:31It's just not clicking.
23:33I mean, Orsi, I think he, it took him three or four games to get his first goal and then
23:36there was no looking back.
23:38This is taking longer and it's, it is worrying.
23:41And I think part of it is the delivery into the bottom.
23:44I mean, the corner was really good with the header from Badrame.
23:47It was a good delivery from Pereira.
23:49Um, but there's, doesn't seem to be enough balls going into the box and Barrow were difficult.
23:54They set up really well.
23:55They were really well organised offensively, but they still had 20 chances and you've
24:01got to be scoring more than one goal from, from those.
24:04So is it a confidence thing?
24:07I mean, Scott Lindsay joked, he thinks he needs to get someone in to come and bless the
24:10goal mouths, try and get something in there.
24:13He's looking for divine intervention, I think.
24:15But, um, it does seem like it's not quite, like I said, the Pereira effort which hit the
24:20post any other day, you'd expect it to come off the post, go rock it into the back of
24:24the net.
24:25But it just, yeah, it still sort of defied the law of physics, how it didn't go in.
24:30And, uh, it just doesn't seem to have any luck.
24:33You just hope it is.
24:35Loft gets a goal or Schumanger gets a goal and it really kickstarts their season.
24:40Um, but it's just not going for them at the moment.
24:42And now I think they're relying a lot on Harry McCurdy to score those goals.
24:47Yeah, absolutely.
24:48I think we've said quite a few times this season there's going to be one game when they put
24:51six or seven times on the line.
24:52Yeah, he wants to ask him, he said afterwards.
24:53But he needs to ask him, yeah.
24:54He said that afterwards, yeah.
24:55Yeah.
24:56It's, um, yeah, somebody is going to be on the end of a hiding at some point.
25:00But at the moment, you just can't see it.
25:03Yeah.
25:04Well, I was going to say, it needs to happen, doesn't it?
25:07For everything to kind of seem okay.
25:09And at the moment, it doesn't look that way, does it?
25:11Yeah.
25:13No.
25:14Eyebrows were raised when Lindsay failed to make a single substitution in the second half.
25:17With attacking options, Kaheem Dixon and Kabongo Shimanga consigned to the bench while the
25:22Reds chased an equaliser.
25:24Why didn't Lindsay make any second half sums, Mark?
25:27What was his reasoning behind that?
25:28And do you think they almost missed the trick in not bringing on those two?
25:31I mean, stating the obvious, possibly.
25:33Yeah, it is because Dixon certainly would have provided a little bit of extra creativity.
25:38He does look like one of those players that can just do one moment of magic will open
25:43up a whole defence kind of thing.
25:44So it was a surprise.
25:46But when we are, because when he came in, we were all, I think generally most people
25:52were scared to ask him why he didn't make any substitutions because you ask a manager,
25:57why didn't you do this?
25:58And he's like, well, do you want to do my job?
26:00Sort of thing.
26:00The excellent answer.
26:02But I sort of said it.
26:03And he did get, he got a little bit defensive about it.
26:06But I quickly interjected and said, I'm not questioning the decision.
26:09I just said, it's rare that you don't see a second half substitution.
26:12And I think that made him relax a little bit more that I wasn't questioning his decision.
26:18But it wasn't a criticism.
26:20It was just like, you don't see that.
26:22You always see your five substitutes on the bench now.
26:25You can use them all.
26:26They obviously had that forced one in the first half.
26:28But what he said was, is that they were playing so well, and they were playing well in the
26:33second half, that he didn't want to introduce something that would stop them from being,
26:39they had so much momentum.
26:41He didn't want to stop them from that momentum.
26:44And he thought bringing off one player and putting on another might have changed the dynamic.
26:48And it might not have still been so forward thinking and that.
26:52But when you've got Raheem Dixon and Sharangic on the bench, surely they are going to have
27:01the same mindset as the person they're replacing.
27:04And yeah, it was strange not to see it.
27:06But I do get that.
27:08And Lindsay said it wasn't just his decision.
27:10He said to Neil Smith and Jamie Day as two assistants, do you think we should make a change?
27:17And they said, no, don't.
27:19There's no point because we're doing so well.
27:21But sure, and I think they obviously at that point, they thought we've got to score.
27:24We're having so many chances and all that.
27:27But it's, yeah, it was, I, yeah, I mean, it's easy to say in hindsight, isn't it?
27:32Raheem Dixon could have made the difference.
27:35Jemanga could have got that first goal that kick-started his crawling career.
27:39And he goes and gets a double on Saturday away at Cambridge or something like that.
27:43But I do understand that.
27:47But I mean, at one point, they might have to substitute the keeper.
27:50We had that conversation a couple of weeks back.
27:53Lindsay didn't use a sub-keeper, Jojo Wallach on the goal for the EFL trophy.
27:58And Lindsay said, it's a gamble, but I don't want to name a sub-keeper because of the homegrown rule.
28:05You have to have a homegrown player.
28:07And if he has a keeper on, that's one less outfield player that he can have on the subs bench.
28:12So that's why he doesn't do it.
28:13And he said that night, what did he say?
28:17He said, it's a gamble.
28:18He said, but how often do you see a keeper get injured?
28:22And he said, and he said that night, I know that's why he didn't come back and bite me on the backside.
28:27And on Saturday, yeah, there was a big delay where Harvey Davis, he hurt his finger.
28:32And he had huge strapping on his finger and to the point where they were struggling to get the glove back on.
28:38And you thought, oh, God, there's no way he's playing.
28:40And that was just before the end.
28:43And Barrow had a couple of shots in, but they should have had, I said it on commentary,
28:46if you saw that, you would be pinging shots in everywhere.
28:50Because there was one effort where he would have been diving with his, it was his left hand, I think it was.
28:56And he died and he went across like that and sort of struggling to reach it
28:59because he didn't want to hurt that finger.
29:01But he came out in the second half and it was all one-way traffic.
29:04He had not much to do second half, so it was okay.
29:07But you wonder what would have happened if they had to have to take him off.
29:10I think we asked Charlie Barker and Charlie Barker said it was either him,
29:14Gavin Houlihan or Josh Flynn who would have had to go and go.
29:17Although they were all getting ready to go.
29:19I think they all fancied themselves as keepers as well.
29:22But that would have been interesting if that happened.
29:24But yeah, we're speaking to Scott tomorrow, so we'll find an update on Harvey Davis.
29:29But Harvey Davis has been brilliant.
29:30He pulled off some really good saves in the first half.
29:33Either goal was really his fault on Saturday and he's been really good.
29:36So he'll be a big loss if he is out injured.
29:42Yeah, absolutely.
29:43And as you mentioned, Mark, this week sees the Reds hit the road to face Crawley at Cambridge,
29:47sorry, Crawley in League Two on Saturday.
29:50And then Leighton Orient in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday.
29:53The U sit 10th in League Two, while League One Orient began their EFL Trophy campaign
29:58with a 3-1 win at Holders-Peterborough at the start of September.
30:01Two games for Crawley this week, Mark, but two very different sets of challenges.
30:05How do you see these games going and how crucial is a win at Cambridge?
30:10Well, they've got to get something there, haven't they?
30:11They really have.
30:14Because you look at the table and a couple of wins,
30:16suddenly you're up in the top half because it's so tight.
30:20But a couple more defeats and then there could be suddenly a big gap between you and top half.
30:26So they've got to start picking up points and Cambridge has got to be a tough game away from home.
30:34They went there last year.
30:35One of the few games they actually won last year was the 1-0 win.
30:39Adi Adi Yemo scored a really good goal.
30:40So it's vital they get something.
30:45I mean, a draw is a good result, but is it going to be enough?
30:50Scott Lindsay will go there and want to win.
30:52And like I say, they're capable of winning.
30:54They're capable of – you just hope it clicks for them.
30:58But it depends.
31:00If they haven't got Adi Yemo, who's been really good, but like I say, Forster was good.
31:03If they haven't got Harvey Davis, you'd imagine Jojo Wallacott comes straight in.
31:07And so still haven't got Danny Cashman.
31:11Jay Williams is obviously still out.
31:13So it's going to be interesting.
31:15And what he does with the striker, because like I say, Ryan Loft,
31:19the fact that he had a load of chances and created a load of chances is a good thing.
31:25But finishing, does he give Schumanger another go?
31:28Louis Flower, we haven't seen much of him.
31:30He scored quite a few in preseason.
31:33Looked really good.
31:33So lots of decisions for Lindsay to make on that one.
31:38But, yeah, it's difficult to see them winning at Cambridge.
31:42But they're capable, and anything less than a draw will be, again, another really disappointing.
31:50And it starts to really look a little bit like, oh, God,
31:52you're being really dragged into it already this season.
31:56But I don't know.
31:58Like Scott said to me last week, it's August.
32:01You don't look at a table in August.
32:03It's not August at all.
32:04It's October now.
32:06But you don't look at the table this early on in the season.
32:09Yeah.
32:10He said in the promotion winning season, they weren't very good.
32:13In October, in the promotion winning season, they've got one point from five games.
32:18They lost four.
32:19Yeah, they lost four out of five games.
32:21Hopefully, they've had that run.
32:24And now they're going to start picking up.
32:26October's going to be a really good month for them.
32:28And then suddenly, everything throws it again.
32:29So, fingers crossed.
32:31Yeah.
32:32But then, you look, the following week in the league, they've got Walsall at home with the top of the table.
32:36So, another really tough game.
32:38But Crawley always seemed to bring it out on those home games against the top side.
32:42So, Leighton Orient, a chance to see other players again.
32:46I think Lindsay will rotate the squad, give those players that haven't had much minutes.
32:51But a tough game going to Leighton Orient.
32:52But it all depends on how seriously Leighton Orient have taken the EFL trophy.
32:56So, we'll see.
32:57They've already won one.
32:59So, Crawley, those two are the two unbeaten sides in that competition.
33:02It'll be interesting to see how they get on.
33:05But they'll certainly go for it.
33:09Yeah, absolutely.
33:10Best of luck to Crawley this coming week.
33:12And as a prediction, we will end with score predictions.
33:14We'll start with Wolves v Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday.
33:18Darren, what do you reckon?
33:21I'm going to go, I said I'd confidently predict a Brighton win.
33:25And I'll have to stick to that.
33:27So, I'm going to go 3-1 to Brighton.
33:31Mark, how do you see this one going?
33:33I can only think of that Ipswich game last season.
33:36Which leads me to believe that Brighton might end up doing something silly here.
33:39But I don't know whether that's just being pessimistic.
33:41I do think it'll be a little bit after the Lord Mayor's show.
33:44And I think it'll be a draw.
33:45I think Wolves did okay at Tottenham on Saturday, didn't they?
33:48They look like they're being a little bit more robust.
33:52So, I think it'll be a draw.
33:57I think it'll be a one-all draw.
33:58And it'll be disappointing for Brighton again.
34:01Yeah, against one of the weaker sides, which they tend to be.
34:03Absolutely.
34:05Yeah.
34:07Yeah.
34:07And then Saturday in League 2, we've got Crawley at Cambridge.
34:10Is this the game where Crawley are going to run amok and put Cambridge someone to the sword, Mark?
34:16I don't think it'll be this weekend.
34:17But I think they will pick up something.
34:20I'm going to go with another draw.
34:23I think it might be like 2-2, but a really good confidence-building result and performance, I think.
34:29And hopefully, either Loft or Schumanga get both goals and really kick starts their season.
34:35Sorry, I don't know if you answered this to the previous question.
34:40Would that be seen as a positive result?
34:42I think so.
34:43As long as it's a performance.
34:45Because if it was a draw on Saturday, obviously, it would have been hugely disappointing.
34:50But I think on the road, a draw against Cambridge, I do a 10th in the league.
34:55So, they're not doing too badly, are they?
34:58So, I think a draw, as long as the performance is good as well, as long as it's not a Chesterfield go 2-0 up and then draw 2-2, that's the worry, isn't it?
35:09So, as long as it's a good fighting performance that they're really showing, and it's a 90-minute performance, I think that's what Lindsay is looking for, a good, solid 90-minute performance.
35:20So, depending on the circumstances, yes, a draw is a good result.
35:24Darren, what do you reckon is going to happen at Cambridge?
35:31I think, yeah, I think the goals will be blessed at the Abbey Stadium this weekend.
35:36So, I'm going to go 2-1 to Crawley, and it will be a substitute, a Scotland's substitute that will score.
35:45In the second half.
35:46Yeah, he'll make the time.
35:49Yeah.
35:49And finally, Orient v Crawley in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday.
35:57Obviously, it doesn't hold as much significance as the Cambridge game, Mark.
36:00So, what do you reckon?
36:02It's kind of a bit of a shrug of the shoulders, that game, isn't it, really?
36:04I don't know how to pick it up.
36:05It's a difficult one to predict, because you don't know how seriously they and Orient are taking it.
36:09Yeah, obviously, I mean, I think Lindsay will put our strongest side, but it won't be the first level.
36:16I can't imagine Harry McCurdy all playing that game, and Dion Conroy and people like that won't play.
36:21But I will go for a 2-1 Crawley win, and Crawley go to Wembley this year in that competition.
36:28Come on, Crawley.
36:29And finally, Darren, yeah, what do you reckon? Crawley Orient could go in that.
36:37Is it Layton Orient?
36:39Is it, yes.
36:40I'm going to go Layton Orient 1-0.
36:44Oh.
36:47After all that, I thought we were going to get some autism there, Darren.
36:50The lightning intervention ends in Layton Orient.
36:53Oh, I don't think they'll be too disheartened if they get me in Orient.
36:56Cambridge is the one to Crawley this week, I think.
36:58Well, anyway, thank you very much for your contributions this week, chaps,
37:02and best of luck to Brighton and Crawley this weekend.
37:04Don't forget you can catch up with all the latest sports news covering everything we've talked about today.
37:08It's sussisworld.co.uk forward slash sport.
37:10Thank you very much for listening and watching.
37:12We will see you all next week.
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