Reds take on another of the pacesetters in League 2 tonight, when we play Newport County at Rodney Parade, kick off 7.45pm.
SCENE SETTER
Reds dropped to 13th place on Saturday after losing 2-1 at Bradford City. Newport won by the same score at home to Scunthorpe and are third in the standings.
GONE FOR A BURTON
A 22-man squad has been preparing for the game since the Bradford match at the FA's National Football Centre at Burton. Head Coach Gabriele Cioiffi explained: "There is a lot of travelling involved going to Bradford and then Newport, so we took the decision to spend a couple of days using the excellent facilities at St George's Park. The boys have prepared well for the Newport game, I am pleased."
TEAM NEWS
George Francomb should be back in training later this week after recovering from a broken toe. Ashley Nadesan and Ollie Palmer have been with the squad over the last few days and are both close to a return but Dannie Bulman (ankle) will need a fitness test ahead of tonight's game. Defender Joe McNerney is also training again after overcoming his back problems.
COUNTY-REDS LINKS
Dominic Poleon joined the Exiles on transfer deadline day after a season with Reds during which he scored six goals. The striker has struggled for regular starts at Newport, with County boss Michael Flynn preferring Jamille Matt and Padraig Amond as his first-choice front pair.
WE'VE MET BEFORE
Reds have had mixed fortunes on their previous visits to south Wales.
Terry Butcher was Newport manager when Reds went there for the first time in the League in 2015 and won 3-0 thanks to two goals by Gwion Edwards and another from Matt Harrold.
We lost 1-0 there in April 2017 when County boss Michael Flynn was masterminding Newport's miraculous escape from relegation on a pitch which was under water an hour before kick off.
We returned early in 2018 under Harry Kewell and lost 2-1, despite Jimmy Smith's goal. Our last visit was last December when the teams fought out a dour goalless draw.
So it's played 4 won 1, lost 2 and drawn 1 for Reds at Rodney Parade.
FORM GUIDE
Newport have the best home form in the division with five wins and two draws in front of their own fans this season. They also have the meanest defence with just seven goals conceded in 14 games, although they have only scored 14 League goals - only two teams have netted fewer times in the League.
22 goals means Reds are among the highest scorers in League 2 - only three clubs have notched more. We have also conceded 22, only four teams have let in more.
MATCH OFFICIALS
Darren Drysdale takes charge of only his fourth Crawley game tonight. Find out more about the Lincolnshire whistler here
HOW THEY BET*
Crawley win: 14/5
Draw: 23/10
Newport win: 19/20
*Odds correct with EFL partners Sky Bet at time of writing. Please gamble responsibly.
COVERAGE
You can watch the game and enjoy commentary from BBC Sussex & Surrey Sport's Gary Smith from 7.40pm on iFollow for £10. Tune in by clicking here.
There will also be coverage across our social media channels throughout the game. @crawleytown on Twitter, Crawley Town FC on Facebook and officialcrawleytownfc on Instagram followed by post-match report and reaction.
COME ON YOU REDS!
