SCENE SETTER
The Reds will return to home soil today to face Oldham Athletic after two long-haul trips up north to Carlisle United and Scunthorpe United last week, where we took a point from a 0-0 draw in North Lincolnshire in a game that we perhaps deserved more from.
FORM GUIDE
Last Tuesday we travelled to Cumbria to take on Carlisle United who had experienced a drop-off in form after a tough spell without games. Reds started competitively but Joe Riley’s effort from distance took a major deflection off of the rough of the turf sending a helpless Glenn Morris the wrong way.
Carlisle doubled their lead not long after as Omari Patrick stormed forwards with the ball without being closed down before firing past Morris with venom from outside the box. Crawley played much better in the second-half especially towards the final whistle but it wasn’t enough to draw anything back from the game.
On Friday it was yet another long trip up north as we took on Scunthorpe United who had hit form in the second half of the season after a very fragile start.
Nick Tsaroulla and James Tilley were two of the main impressors as their partnership on the left side caused the hosts some problems throughout. Tony Craig and Joe McNerney displayed their experience, keeping the Iron out for the entirety of the game, disallowing them even a shot on target.
The scoreline remained goalless in a much improved performance from the Tuesday before, as the gaffer praised the fighting spirit of the Reds and their ability to keep on working for each other.
Today’s visitors have had a disappointing season, again switching up managers mid-term. Ex-Reds Manager Harry Kewell was let go earlier in the season however form has not picked up since then under Keith Curle, with Oldham dropping to 19th in the table, with one win in their last nine.
THE HISTORY
Earlier this season in the reverse fixture against the Latics, John Yems’ Reds won their first game at Boundary Park in their last five attempts. After Danny Rowe opened the scoring 30 minutes in, Crawley reacted in the best way possible as Tarryn Allarakhia assisted Ashley Nadesan only one minute later to level things up.
Then George Francomb gave us the lead with an absolute rocket of a strike before Tom Nichols doubled our lead in the second-half with an intelligent header. Conor McAleny scored late on to make the scoreline 2-3 and that is how it ended up north.
In the final game before the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted all football last season, the Reds beat the Latics 3-0 at The People’s Pension Stadium. Goals from Ricky German, Ashley Nadesan and Bez Lubala awarded Crawley with their first win over Oldham since 2015.
In the three league meetings before this, Oldham ran out victors each time, with 2 home 2-1 victories at Boundary Park and a 3-0 away victory at The People’s Pension Stadium in February 2019.
THE OPPOSITION
Forward Conor McAleny is likely to lead the line today for Oldham after scoring twelve league goals so far this campaign, including a consolation against the Reds back in September. The Ex-Everton and Fleetwood man certainly has an eye for goal and also possesses rapid pace and a decent passing range.
Davis Keillor-Dunn is another creative spark in the midfield, scoring eight and assisting four so far this season. The midfielder had spells in Scotland and Wales before his move to Oldham in 2020.
Oldham’s most attractive talent this season has arguably been Congolese attacker, Dylan Bahamboula. Known for his dribbling, pace and agility, Dylan was recently on international duty for Congo, missing Oldham’s last three league games as a consequence. We are unsure of the attacker’s availability for today’s fixture.
TEAM NEWS
Reece Grego-Cox and Tom Dallison remain unavailable. Henry Burnett, Tyler Frost, Ashley Nadesan and Davide Rodari are doubts. Jake Hesketh has suffered a long-term injury and will be absent after returning to Southampton.
Jordan Tunnicliffe could be in contention to start after sitting on the bench against Scunthorpe United on Friday afternoon.
HOW THEY BET*
Crawley Town 21/20
Draw 12/5
Oldham Athletic 12/5
*Odds correct with EFL partners Sky Bet at the time of writing. Please gamble responsibly.
COVERAGE
You can watch the match live on iFollow from 2:50 with commentary from Gary Smith and Tony Vessey.
You can purchase a match pass for £10 by clicking here.
