Goals from Adam Campbell, Laurence Maguire and Danilo Orsi ensured Crawley picked up a point at Stockport this afternoon. The Reds were 2-0 down in the first half, but a late goal in the half from Campbell gave the Reds hope heading into the second half. Scott Lindsey’s side were ahead with a minute of normal time to go, but were forced to settle for a point at Edgeley Park.
There was nothing to separate the two sides during the first ten minutes. Both teams looked fairly comfortable on the ball, but were both cautious going forward. The first real chance of the game resulted in a goal, but unfortunately, it was the home side that struck first. The ball broke for Aston Villa loanee Louie Barry on the edge of the box, and the forward made no mistake in rifling a thunderbolt into the top corner to give his side an early lead.
Crawley looked good on the ball, despite going a goal down in the early stages. Harry Forster and Liam Kelly both tested Ben Hinchliffe in the Stockport goal in the minutes after the opener, but the goalkeeper dealt with both efforts comfortably.
Despite holding the majority of possession and playing some nice football, Crawley’s deficit was doubled when Antoni Sarcevic lifted the ball over Corey Addai in the 36th minute. Crawley were stripped of the ball deep inside their own half, which resulted in a quick breakaway for the home side. Sarcevic was fed the ball and delicately chipped the on-rushing Crawley goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
The Reds were not down and out yet, however, as Adam Campbell netted his first Crawley goal in the 42nd minute. Will Wright broke away on the far side, and had plenty of space to run into. The defender found Campbell with a decent cross, which the forward gratefully finished with a precise volley that found its way in off of the post.
The Red Devils would have felt positive heading into the break, knowing that they were well and truly in the game.
Crawley survived an early scare in the second half as Barry raced through on goal for a second time. The forward had beaten his man for pace, and had only Addai to beat, but failed to find the target.
The Reds looked strong at the start of the second half, as they looked to pressure the home side in search of an equaliser. In the 54th minute, Crawley found their equaliser through new signing Laurence Maguire. Liam Kelly floated a brilliant ball into the area that was met with a thunderous strike by the centre-back. The debutant wheeled away in celebration, much to the disappointment of the Cheadle End.
Things got even better for the Reds in the 64th minute as Danilo Orsi fired the ball home to complete the comeback. It was a strange goal, as the ball appeared to find Orsi free in the box without a Crawley touch. The Stockport players looked perplexed as to how the Crawley man received the ball, but at that point the striker was already wheeling away to celebrate.
Crawley were only a minute of normal time away from recording a very impressive victory, but Isaac Olaofe netted in the 89th minute to ensure that the points were shared. The Stockport substitute raced through on goal and slotted the ball under Addai to seal a point for the home side.
Scott Lindsey’s side are back in action on Tuesday night as they face Charlton in the EFL Trophy.
REDS XI: Addai, Tsaroulla, Maguire (Roles 72’), Ransom, Wright, Forster (Lolos 59’), Kelly, Williams (Mukena 92’), Gladwin (Darcy 59’), Campbell, Orsi
