Crawley Town manager Scott Lindsey delivered a brutally honest assessment of his side’s opening day collapse at Grimsby Town, admitting they were “rubbish” during a one-sided 3–0 defeat.
The Reds were second best in every department as goals from Jaze Kabia, Cameron McJannet and Evan Khouri handed the Mariners a comfortable win.
Lindsey Labels Performance “Miles Off It”
Kabia struck from the spot after Crawley goalkeeper Harvey Davies fouled Kieran Green just nine minutes in, before McJannet powered home a header from a Charles Vernam cross on the half-hour mark. Kabia then struck the bar in stoppage time, but Grimsby weren’t finished. Just after the hour, Khouri sealed the result with a well-struck finish from the edge of the area.
Speaking after the game, Lindsey didn’t hide his frustration.
“We were rubbish and that’s the truth of the matter. We weren’t very good at all. I think it was 57 minutes before we had a shot on goal. We were clearly off it today.”
“Second Best in Every Department”
Lindsey was visibly disappointed by the lack of fight shown by his team, who he claimed were outworked, outfought, and outthought by the hosts. He admitted that Grimsby “wanted it more” and highlighted the need for tough conversations within the dressing room.
“They won every single second ball in the middle of the park. They competed better than we did, they ran harder than we did, they wanted it more than we did,” he said. “That’s not a reflection of me; it’s not a reflection of what I want.”
The manager did find some perspective, referencing a similar early-season defeat from a previous campaign. “I remember the year we got promoted, we lost 6–0 to Swindon away quite early on in the season. It happens.”
Injuries and selection issues compounded the result. Harry Forster was forced off in the first half with an injury, and Lindsey was left to turn to less experienced options. Young winger Fate Kotey came on for his league debut, while Giorgos Papadopoulos played out of position on the left flank.
Supporters Back Team Despite Defeat
Despite the poor performance, Lindsey reserved praise for the 221 travelling Crawley supporters, who stood by the team throughout.
“I feel sorry for them. It wasn’t a nice watch and it’s a long journey, but they came in brilliant numbers, and they were fantastic… I apologise to them for that performance.”
Writer’s View
Scott Lindsey’s post-match honesty reflects the gulf between Crawley’s expectations and their reality at Blundell Park. This was a sobering reminder of the league’s intensity, and while opening day defeats can be misleading, the manner of the performance will concern both staff and supporters.
With injuries already stretching the squad and reinforcements still needed, Crawley must respond quickly or risk falling behind in a fiercely competitive division.
