Crawley Town manager Scott Lindsey was full of admiration for his players after they came from behind to beat 10-man Notts County at the Broadfield Stadium on Tuesday night.
The visitors took the lead after 20 minutes when Sam Austin poked the ball home from a few yards out to score his second goal of the season. Crawley looked to respond quickly as Magpies goalkeeper Sam Slocombe was kept busy throughout, facing 14 shots on target over the 90 minutes. County’s night was made far more difficult though with just 18 minutes left of the game when midfielder Scott Robertson was sent off for a second bookable offence.
The Red Devils took advantage of Notts County‘s disadvantage in the 79th minute as Klaidi Lolos’ close-range effort found the back of the net for his seventh goal of the season. The home side made it 2-1 and found the winner five minutes later when substitute Ade Adeyemo’s low shot from the edge of the area left Slocombe with no chance.
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Crawley’s win keeps them well in the hunt for the playoffs and into ninth place, just two points away from the top seven, with games in hand over teams above them. The comeback victory makes it five wins in six games for the home side. Meanwhile, the Magpies’ defeat drops them to 17th in the League Two table but still 15 points clear of the relegation places.
Manager Scott Lindsey spoke to the media after the game and admitted his side could be challenging for the playoffs while praising the second-half performance of his players.
“I always believed in the players during the summer and it was never a pipe dream and now people are starting to sit up and take us seriously,” Lindsey said.
“We were unbelievable in the second half in the way we attacked them.
“I heard the Notts manager saying after their previous game that they were struggling to defend balls in the box and we used that as a tool,” the 51-year-old added.
“We could’ve scored a lot more, their keeper’s done brilliantly for them on several occasions, but we can’t be too greedy”.
Writer’s View
This is a fantastic win for Crawley Town and fans will definitely believe the playoffs are achievable if they didn’t already. With the Red Devils’ current form, there is no reason that they can’t beat high-flying Stockport County next week. Scott Lindsey has done a tremendous job this season and it looks like the owners, WAGMI United, have finally made the right appointment. If Crawley Town do make the playoff places, Lindsey’s side will arguably be the most feared team heading into the postseason competition, and rightfully so.
It’s not been the season that was predicted for Notts County after their promotion last year. However, with safety all but guaranteed, fans of the Magpies can’t be too disappointed. Manager Stuart Maynard had a lot to live up to after Luke Williams left the League Two outfit to join Swansea City and so far, he hasn’t lived up to those expectations. County still possess a great squad that has the potential to challenge for promotion, but it looks like that challenge may have to come next season.
