County will look to recover from a disappointing second half at Mansfield last time out and return to winning ways at Edgeley Park this weekend, as we host Crawley Town in League Two.
Despite goals from Louie Barry and Fraser Horsfall giving County a deserved 2-1 half-time lead at the One Call Stadium last weekend, an onslaught from the Stags after the break saw them emerge 3-2 winners, courtesy of a brace from Davis Keillor-Dunn.
A third defeat from our opening five League Two outings leaves us in 19th place heading into September, one point above the bottom two and five off a play-off spot in the early league standings.
Opponents Crawley currently sit three points and six places above County in 13th, having defied pre-season predictions of a relegation struggle with some solid performances and results in the opening weeks of the campaign. That said, they come into this game on the back of a 6-0 drubbing away at Swindon Town last time out, in a humiliating return to his former club for manager Scott Lindsey.
Things you need to know:
- We encourage supporters to find sustainable ways of travelling to the game where possible. There is now bike storage available in the car park behind the Vitality Railway End, allowing supporters cycling to the game to store their bikes during the game.
- Coming to the game on Saturday? Click here to view our Fan Information pack, containing all you need to know ahead of your visit to Edgeley Park.
- The club have recently introduced a new in-game text message service, allowing supporters the opportunity to contact us directly with any issues or concerns on a match day. Click here for more information.
- Don’t forget to turn up early to Edgeley Park to visit the County Courtyard, which will be opening its doors from 1.00pm! For more information on all the food and drink on offer this week, click here.
- Saturday’s game will be available for our overseas supporters to stream over on Stockport County Live, featuring live commentary with Jon Keighren and Sam Byrne. Audio commentary will also be available for our supporters located in the UK. Click here to buy a pass today
Our Opponents:
A summer of investment 12 months ago under new American owners WAGMI United, including the capture of the previous season’s League Two top goalscorer Dom Telford, meant Crawley Town entered the 2022/23 campaign with hopes of challenging at the top end of the table.
What followed, however, was a season of turmoil on and off the pitch at Broadfield Stadium that saw the club come dangerously close to losing their EFL status. It took them until their eighth game of the season to pick up their first league win, beating County 3-2 in September, and four consecutive defeats immediately after saw manager Kevin Betsy dismissed with the club routed to the bottom of the table.
In a turbulent few months, three different managers were given the job following Betsy’s dismissal, including a 32-day spell for former Peterborough United coach Matthew Etherington prior to Lindsey’s appointment from Swindon Town.
The 51-year-old left a Swindon side sat in 8th place in January to join a struggling Crawley side; 21st in League Two, but still six points clear of the drop zone.
Just one win from his first nine games in charge though, including a run of six straight defeats that started with a loss at Edgeley Park, saw the Red Devils slip back into the bottom two – facing the possibility of a return to non-league for the first time since 2011.
A mini revival of three wins from four games in March reignited hopes of survival, and set up what was essentially a relegation decider away at Hartlepool United. They went into the game three points above the Pools with three games to play, knowing a defeat would see them leapfrogged in the table.
What followed was a superb away performance from Lindsey’s side; a Dom Telford brace securing a 2-0 win on the road that all but secured their EFL status for another season – with Hartlepool destined for the National League.
Crawley finished the season in 22nd place, three points above the drop zone – far away from their much-publicised pre-season aims of promotion after a year of struggle, but crucially with another season of league football to look forward to.
Over the Summer:
There’s been a mass exodus at Broadfield Stadium over the Summer, with Lindsey overseeing a radical overhaul of a squad that arguably underachieved in League Two last season.
Player of the Year Jake Powell has moved on to Crewe Alexandra, whilst key forward James Tilley was sold to AFC Wimbledon for an undisclosed fee – the latter has since scored five goals in his first seven appearances for the Dons, including one at Stamford Bridge in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.
Striker Ashley Nadesan is now scoring goals for promotion-chasing Gillingham, but perhaps the most surprising and damaging departure of the transfer window has been that of top scorer, Dom Telford. Despite early season struggles, the 26-year-old still scored 12 goals for the Red Devils, but has recently been sold to fellow League Two side Barrow.
There have been plenty of incomings in recent months too; Liam Kelly and Ronan Darcy have both added quality in midfield, with the latter having worked under Lindsey during their time together at Swindon last season.
Up front, former Grimsby man Danilo Orsi has been brought in to provide the goals, alongside Adam Campbell, who scored 13 National League goals for Gateshead last season. Set-piece specialist centre-half, Will Wright has joined from Gillingham – it was his free-kick on opening day that sealed a surprise victory over Bradford City at Broadfield Stadium.
They do boast a former County man amongst their ranks too – goalkeeper Luca Ashby-Hammond, a one-time County loanee, has joined from Fulham, although he has yet to make his Crawley debut.
Despite many predicting another season of struggle, the Sussex side made light work of some challenging early fixtures, with that opening day win against Bradford followed by a point at Salford City and a 2-1 win over current league leaders, MK Dons.
Gillingham inflicted a first league defeat of the season on the Red Devils, but were made to work hard for their 1-0 victory and Lindsey will be hoping the horrors of last week’s showing at Swindon were an anomaly, in what has otherwise been a promising start to the new campaign.
