Crawley Town manager Scott Lindsey revealed to the club’s media that he told members of the dressing room they were “not good enough to be in the squad” following a 9-1 defeat to Portsmouth in pre-season.
The Red Devils faced a League One promotion-chasing Portsmouth side in a match split into four 30-minute periods, in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Pompey’s Copnor Road training complex.
Summer signing Harry Forster was on target for the Reds in the opening hour, in what proved to be an otherwise dismal day down in Hampshire.
Before Saturday’s rout, the 51-year-old’s side had recorded three victories against lower-league opposition, prior to the visit of Crystal Palace, who ran out comfortable 4-0 winners on Wednesday.
It has been a summer of discontent, with popular midfielder Jake Hessenthaler among those to mutually agree to the termination of their contract at The Broadfield Stadium.
He joined Crawley in the summer of 2020, playing all 46 league games in his first season in West Sussex, before continuing to be a crucial cog in the Reds’ machine, as only injury kept him out of the starting eleven in his second year.
Saturday’s result will have done little to curb the fallout from supporters towards the club’s ownership, WAGMI United, who have largely brought the 127-year-old club on a downward spiral since their takeover in April 2022.
What’s been said?
Scott Lindsey’s side went into the half-time break 2-1 down, leaving the Walsall-born man largely pleased with his side’s effort up to that point.
“The first game (60 minutes) we were good, we defended really well and played some good stuff ourselves.
“They [Portsmouth] pressed us, and to start with, I think we found that hard, but we got into a rhythm and got into good areas by playing through their press on a number of occasions, and we scored a fantastic goal from that.
“The boys who played in that period got some much needed minutes against a good side who were full strength.”
A Kusini Yengi hat-trick helped John Mousinho’s side dispatch Crawley 7-0 in the second-half, aiding Lindsey’s decision over the future of much of his squad.
“The second period was good for me because it shows that some of the players are not good enough.
“They’re not good enough to be part of my squad, and I’ve made that quite clear in the dressing room afterwards.
“There’s going to be times when you don’t play well yourself, but that doesn’t stop you running around.
“There were individuals in the second period who didn’t even want to be there, so unfortunately they can’t play for me.
“It was a great exercise because it just goes to show that the boys who are going to be playing are capable, and the boys who I thought were nowhere near it, are in fact nowhere near it.”
Writer’s View
Crawley really needed to buck up their ideas this summer, however, the disillusionment has only continued to grow between the supporters and the owners.
They narrowly avoided the dreaded drop last season, but I don’t think a bunch of unproven signings from non-league will be enough to retain their EFL status.
As you will see in an upcoming League Two predictions article, I have Crawley on a collision course with National League football.
