Crawley Town boss Scott Lindsey looks ahead to the League One clash at the Broadfield Stadium with Barnsley. He gives an injury update, transfer update and his thoughts on the Brighton performance.
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00:00Scott, thank you for joining us. After Tuesday night's cup action, we're back in league action
00:04this weekend as we take the visit of Barnsley. Can I get your thoughts about that game?
00:08Yeah, a game we're looking forward to. We're at home again. We like being at home against
00:13a really experienced manager in Daryl Clarke, somebody I like a lot, got a lot of respect
00:19for and a tough opposition in the shape of Barnsley with some really strong, powerful
00:29players. So, we're going to have to be at our very best in order for us to get anything
00:33from the game. But, like I say, a game we're looking forward to.
00:36Yeah, I'm sure you've watched a lot of the opposition so far. What do you think their
00:39key strengths are and what have we got to look out for? Because as we know, one of our
00:43old players a lot of football fans will be familiar with, Max Wotters, will be potentially
00:47starting up front. Obviously, you weren't here when he was here, but a familiar face
00:50to lots of people here. Is he one of the key dangers that you've picked out?
00:53He is, yeah, along with a lot of other players as well. They throw a lot of balls in your
00:58box, literally, and put a lot of balls in your box from open play, ask a lot of questions
01:04of you, but they're also a good side as well. They'll make passes at the back, they'll go
01:08long when they need to, they can mix it up, but they're very disciplined with their running.
01:15The ball turns over, they get back into their shape quickly and they press as well. They're
01:21a very physical, strong, experienced side.
01:26Yeah, as you mentioned in that first bit there, it would be nice to be back at home, wouldn't
01:31it? Because it feels like an age since we've been at home in the league. Obviously, you're
01:34opening day of the season, we obviously had a couple of cup games after that, but to be
01:38back at home in the league, the atmosphere, as we know, is going to be incredible. So,
01:40it can give us a real boost, can't it?
01:42It can, yeah. We like being at home, don't we? I know we've had at least one good away
01:48win already in the league, but yeah, we like being at home. We feel that the fans can really
01:57help us in our quest to get three points always and I think this has always been a tough place
02:05to come for an away team. So, yeah, we're pleased for that.
02:09Yeah, and after this game, what feels like a deserved break, I suppose, because we obviously
02:13haven't got that Burton game anymore. How much of a welcome break is that for you? What's
02:18the plan? Is there a plan to give the players a few days off or is it just a different kind
02:21of work on the training ground?
02:22Yeah, I think it is a welcome break because we've gone Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday
02:26pretty much from the start and there's been one or two bumps and bruises. So, they will
02:33need some time off. I think it's a demanding season, a long season. A lot of games come
02:41thick and fast and every time there is an opportunity to get a break, I think that the
02:46players do need that. Of course, we're going to be in training for the next two weeks,
02:50but there will be opportunity for the players to have a rest as well and then hopefully
02:58coming into the Stockport game, we'll have a normal week of preparation coming into that game.
03:03Yeah, we spoke earlier in the season about how important getting a winning run going
03:07is. Is that the same, I suppose, going into a little bit of a mini-break because you won't
03:12want to go into that period off without a win, Andy, would you?
03:15Yeah, of course. Listen, it's always important to win games whether there's a break in front
03:19of you or not. But, yeah, we want to win on Saturday for the sake of winning, but we want
03:24to win on Saturday because we know there's two weeks before we play again. So, yeah,
03:28it's important that we do that. But, like I say, we've got a tough task in front of
03:33us in the shape of Barnsley with, like I say, an experienced manager in Daryl Clark and
03:38some really, really good players in their team. I'm confident with my team, the way
03:43we're playing at the moment and how we're shaping up and how we're looking. We're really
03:48confident and we're playing with a little bit of swagger at the moment. So, I think
03:54it's a good time for us to play a team like this.
03:56You said, are you expecting them to be the most physical side you've played yet and
04:00how do you change your preparations for that?
04:03Yeah, it probably is the most physical test that we've come up against up to now, actually
04:09thinking about it, with the teams that we've played. No disrespect to them. In terms of
04:15preparation, no, we don't change too much. We try and make it about us. We have to be
04:21mindful that they will throw a lot of balls in our box. They will ask a lot of questions
04:27of you and we have to be ready for that. So, we will be. We'll be prepared for that. But,
04:33we do make a lot of the preparations about us, which is why I feel that we've played
04:37so well.
04:38I know you mentioned Max Watford briefly then, obviously. He's made his name here, really.
04:45What do you see in him? What are his qualities as a player?
04:47I just think that physically, he's strong. He's got Cosgrove up there with him and they
04:53ask a lot of questions of you. They can both kind of run, do you know what I mean? They're
04:57not just big players who can't run. They can get in behind you, they can get down the sides
05:01of you, both finish goals. They're both an handful. So, we know that it's going to be
05:08tough for our young defenders, but I'm confident with the way they're playing at the moment.
05:14And your squad-wise, you said Harry Forster is back in training. Do you expect him to
05:19be involved at all on Saturday?
05:20Yeah, he's come through training again this morning. We've got another day's training
05:24tomorrow and then I'll make a decision. But up to now, yeah, he's come through. So, I'm
05:28hoping that he'll be involved.
05:30And any other, Dion and Gav, are they?
05:33Yeah, Dion's kind of been involved in some training. Gav, a little bit more in front
05:39at the moment, trained today, but still probably be a number of weeks away before he can be
05:43included.
05:44Excellent. And obviously, transfer window closes tomorrow. Any updates you can give
05:49us at all?
05:50I can't as of yet, but we should be making an announcement probably today, if not tomorrow.
05:57Okay, is that how many number of players?
05:59That's one at the moment and potentially two.
06:02Excellent, thank you. And going back to Tuesday night, I'm sure you've gone back and analysed
06:07it, clipped it all up and that. What pleased you most about the performance on Tuesday
06:10night at Brighton?
06:11I think probably more so how fluid we were with our possession against a good team. I
06:17think we had a lot of the ball, we were very good with the ball. So, that pleased me. The
06:24second thing that pleased me was how we stopped them from playing. I think their keeper kicked
06:28it longer than he's ever kicked it because we went man for man against them and kind
06:32of stopped them and frustrated them. I thought we played well in the game. I thought the
06:38scoreline didn't reflect that, didn't reflect how the game was. I think 4-0 wasn't a fair
06:45result. We missed a hatful of chances as well and they were really clinical within their
06:53chances. But I was really happy with how we played. I thought we played really good football.
06:59Like I say, we dominated possession and like I say, we stopped them from playing.