Grimsby Town travel to Crawley Town this evening wary of their opposition, despite Scott Lindsay’s side’s precarious position near the bottom of League Two.
Crawley, who are now owned by crypto giants Wagmi United, have had a turbulent season up to this point – off-field drama hasn’t helped matters on the pitch, The Red Devils four points off the drop zone.
Their form has, however, picked up in the last few League Two encounters.
Scott Lindsey’s Red Devils are unbeaten in their last four clashes in the division, including a vital victory last time out versus bottom of the league Rochdale – Dom Telford and Dion Conroy scoring in quick succession to give Crawley a 2-0 win which led to Jim Bentley losing his job at Dale.
Paul Hurst’s men, therefore, cannot underestimate their lowly opposition tonight.
Grimsby, who have made headlines in recent weeks for their surprise FA Cup run all the way to the Quarter Finals, have drawn both of their League Two clashes since their huge day out to Brighton – drawing 1-1 at home to Walsall last time out despite registering 22 shots on goal.
They are unbeaten in their last five matches overall despite those two draws and are comfortable in 15th spot in the division.
Mariners boss Paul Hurst spoke to GrimsbyLive in the build-up to this encounter down in West Sussex, a match that is anything but straightforward for his side.
He said “There are certainly signs of improvement for Crawley, as they’ve won a few games recently with Scott Lindsey having some more time to implement his ideas so I’m sure confidence is growing in their camp.
“We’ll expect a tougher game than their league position suggests and again it is another long journey for us.
“We looked at all the travelling that we’ve done as a team, and we’ve certainly clocked the miles up as have the supporters that have been to those games. It has been a tough month in that sense.”
Players to Watch
Dom Telford (Crawley Town)
A proven goalscorer at this level, it was a major coup in the summer for all those involved at Crawley when the ex Newport striker put pen on paper to a move.
Telford’s career has seen him score a solitary Championship strike all the way back in 2014 for Blackpool, alongside winning a fourth tier golden boot in Wales with Newport County.
Scoring 11 times in total this season overall, Scott Lindsay will be hoping Dom Telford’s eye for goal can be the difference maker at the Broadfield Stadium tonight.
Luke Waterfall (Grimsby Town)
An experienced head at the heart of the Mariners defence, Grimsby’s number six continues to lead by example for his black and white side.
Notching up over 100 appearances now for Paul Hurst’s men, he’s a reliable and steady presence and one figure they’ll hope can thwart the likes of Dom Telford and Ashley Nadesan up top for the opposition.
If Grimsby can remain solid at the back, they could well snatch a win on their travels.
Head-to-Head
Looking at the recent head-t0-head clashes between the two sides, Grimsby come out on top. Paul Hurst’s men won the reverse fixture earlier in the season convincingly at Blundell Park, a resounding 3-0 victory for The Mariners on the day.
Last 5 – 3 Grimsby wins, 1 draw and 1 Crawley win
Saturday 8th October 2022 – Grimsby Town 3-0 Crawley Town
Tuesday 23rd February 2021 – Grimsby Town 2-1 Crawley Town
Tuesday 24th November 2020 – Crawley Town 1-2 Grimsby Town
