Crawley picked up a point on the road this afternoon with a solid performance at the Peninsula Stadium against Salford City. The Reds could have been three or four goals up at half-time, but a combination of Alex Cairns and the woodwork denied Crawley before an own-goal finally gave Scott Lindsey’s side the lead. Conor McAleny netted for Salford within the first minute of the second half to level the tie.
It was a brilliant start from the visitors, who came agonisingly close to taking the lead in the 6th minute. Liam Kelly found himself with plenty of space to shoot on the edge of the Salford penalty area following a corner. Kelly lined up a thunderbolt that came crashing off of the underside of the crossbar.
Salford themselves looked dangerous and were also playing some very aesthetically pleasing football. Corey Addai had to be alert on a couple of occasions to deny Stevie Mallen, first from a counter-attack and then from a free-kick from 20 yards out.
Crawley’s best chance of the first half somehow didn’t result in a goal. A lovely sequence of play from Scott Lindsey’s side gave Kellan Gordon space to find Danilo Orsi inside the box, who was about two yards out. Orsi met the cross, but unbelievably, Cairns got across the line and tipped the striker’s effort onto the crossbar.
Eventually, Crawley did find the opening goal, but it was a Salford man that diverted the ball into the back of the net. Will Wright floated the ball into the Salford penalty area from a free-kick, and it appeared to just hit Luke Garbutt before gliding into the back of the net. It was a deserved lead for Crawley, who held on until half-time.
Unfortunately, Crawley’s lead was cancelled out within the first minute of the second half. Conor McAleny poked home from inside the box after a ball was lifted over the top of the Reds’ defence.
The pace of the game had dramatically reduced in the second half, and neither side were able to create as many chances as they had in the first half.
The first real opportunity after the equaliser fell to Crawley and their new signing Adam Campbell. The striker whipped a curling effort towards goal, which had Cairns beaten, but the woodwork had other ideas, and the ball bounced clear.
After a hard-fought final 20 minutes, Crawley walked away from the Peninsula Stadium with a point. Some, including Crawley Manager Scott Lindsey, would class that as two points dropped. Many, however, would see that as another excellent point gained. After a brilliant performance on the opening day against Bradford City, Crawley are beginning to show that they are a force to be reckoned with this season.
REDS XI: Corey Addai, Kellan Gordon, Harry Ransom, Dion Conroy, Will Wright, Nick Tsaroulla, Liam Kelly (Henry 75’), Jay Williams, Dom Telford (Campbell 70’), Danilo Orsi (Lolos 70’)
Attendance: 143 away fans
