Matt Pole is joined by Mark Dunford and Sam Morton, and on this episode we’ll bring you all the latest from a tumultuous week at the Broadfield Stadium. After an historic 20 months in charge, Scott Lindsey has departed Crawley Town to join division-below Milton Keynes Dons. The 52-year-old worked miracles during his time at the Broadfield Stadium, with some even calling him the club’s greatest ever manager. After joining Crawley Town in January 2023, Lindsey transformed the Reds from relegation candidates into a side that took League Two by storm to claim the most unlikely of promotions last season. We talk about memories, his legacy and who is in the running for the job
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00:00Hello and welcome to a very special Crawley Town episode of the Goldmouth Action Podcast.
00:05I'm Matt Pohl and I'm joined by Mark Dunford and Sam Morton and on this episode we'll bring
00:10you all the latest from a tumultuous week at the Broadfield Stadium.
00:14After an historic 20 months in charge, Scott Lindsay has departed Crawley Town's joint
00:18division below Milton Keynes-Dons.
00:21The 52-year-old worked miracles during his time at the Broadfield Stadium, with some
00:25even calling him the club's greatest ever manager.
00:28After joining Crawley Town in January 2023, Lindsay transformed the Reds from renegation
00:32candidates into a side that took League Two by storm to claim the most unlikely of promotions
00:37last season.
00:39Having easily dispatched MK Dons in the play-off semi-finals, Crawley then rose to the occasion
00:43on the biggest stage, sealing a 2-0 victory over Crewe at Wembley to earn promotion back
00:47to League One for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign.
00:52We'll look back on Lindsay's tenure at the Reds and the legacy he will leave, discuss
00:56who could be in line to take up the Crawley Town hot seat, and bring you all the reaction
01:00from the Reds' trip to Wrexham, which proved to be Lindsay's last game in charge of the
01:04club.
01:05Starting with you, Mark, it's been very much a whirlwind 24 hours.
01:08How big of a shock was it to hear that Lindsay was departing to join MK Dons?
01:13I think we were always expecting him to leave at some point this year, just simply because
01:17of the interest in him would be so high whenever there was a job come up.
01:21We've talked about it loads on this podcast, about whether it's lower-half championship,
01:27League One, League Two, whenever a job came up, Lindsay's name was always going to be
01:31in the conversation.
01:32I mean, the fact that he's gone to MK Dons is a bit of a surprise, but it's very similar
01:38to his move from Swindon to Crawley.
01:40Swindon were in the play-offs at the time, Crawley were really struggling.
01:43I mean, that was in the same division.
01:45This one does seem like a big drop down, but I mean, anyone who's been to MK's stadium
01:51and MK Dons, yeah, they're hated, people don't like them, but they want to be a big
02:00club and they are ambitious, and I think that's where the attraction was for Lindsay.
02:06So I wasn't...
02:07Was I shocked?
02:08I don't know if I was shocked, really, that he'd left, but to go to MK Dons, I was surprised
02:13because of where they are in the league and that, but he obviously really loves a challenge,
02:18Scott Lindsay.
02:19He loves going down and getting a team, putting his stamp on it, and then taking them up.
02:25I mean, worth the bet putting them to get promoted this year, I think, because of the
02:29players they've got.
02:30I mean, obviously, they've got Liam Kelly and Lawrence Maguire there.
02:32He knows...
02:33There's Joe Tomlinson as well, who he knows, he worked with at Swindon.
02:37So he's, yeah, he's got a good squad there and, yeah, they're underachieving at the moment,
02:43but I think he's going to take them, but, yeah, yeah, it always seemed like it was going
02:48to happen.
02:49But, and with, I mean, we saw Preston, his name was attached to it, whether that was
02:53actually interest from Preston and Scott Lindsay, who knows, same with Blackpool, et cetera.
02:59But yeah, no, yeah, I'm absolutely gutted because I had a really good relationship with
03:04Scott and, yeah, it's going to be interesting how it all pans out now for Crawley after
03:10this news.
03:11Yeah, absolutely.
03:12Sam, are you kind of the same as Mark?
03:14I suppose the only certainty in football is that the manager will go eventually.
03:17Was the only surprise for you the fact that it was a drop down to MK Dons when he's been
03:22linked to championship jobs?
03:23Yeah, I completely agree with Mark.
03:25It was probably not a surprise that he's left.
03:27I think it seemed that every time there was a vacancy in League One, League Two, Scott
03:32Lindsay was one of the first names to be linked with the job.
03:36And it was, obviously, I know Mark has had to ask him about it a lot of times, a lot
03:40of times in press conferences in terms of the jobs he's been linked with.
03:44And Scott has never turned it down outright.
03:46He's always said he will stay at Crawley until he's told otherwise kind of thing.
03:50He's always left that possibility open.
03:53And I feel like with his comments, he's always made it clear that I always felt that if the
03:57right offer came up, he would take it.
04:00And this is obviously the one that's turned his head enough for him to move on.
04:03And it is a shame that it's obviously wrapped down to League Two.
04:05And there's a case of maybe thinking he could have done better.
04:08He could have stayed in League One or even gone to a high-end League One club and potentially
04:12get promoted to the championship.
04:13But instead, he's obviously gone back to League Two.
04:16As Mark said, he clearly loves the challenge.
04:17And I feel like he does really establish the opportunity to get a club of the stature of
04:22MK Lawrence back to where they should be, really.
04:24I think the stadium they've got, the financial backing they've got, I think he's going to
04:28do really well there.
04:29And as Mark's mentioned, with Liam Kelly and Lawrence Maguire, he knows people there.
04:33And it felt just maybe everything just lined up perfectly for him.
04:36And he feels like he can go and take that next step into what is a big club and to get
04:41them back to where they probably feel they should be.
04:43From Corey's point of view, he's gutting.
04:45And I'm gutted.
04:46He's given Corey fans the best moments in their history.
04:49And he will go down, I think, as the best manager in Corey's history, really.
04:54So, it is a big shame.
04:55I think it was quite nice to see Scott Malone's posting.
04:57He's one of the best men, one of the best managers he's ever played for.
05:00So, that just sums it up, really.
05:02The players would be just as gutted as the fans, I imagine.
05:04Yes, you mentioned the fans there, Sam.
05:06How did they react to the news, Marker?
05:08I think it's safe to say that most of them thought he could walk on water by the end
05:11of his tenure.
05:13Yes, absolutely.
05:14I mean, it was the worst-kept secret, the fact that he was going yesterday.
05:18All day, everyone seemed to know that it was happening.
05:21It was just a case of when the time was.
05:23But I did a fan reaction piece quite early on in the day, people just praising him and
05:29just saying they don't begrudge him a move anywhere because of what he has delivered
05:34for Crawley Town.
05:35And, yes, I mean, there's a few people getting a little bit anti from what he said after
05:41when he's joined.
05:42There was a bit about Liam Kelly was texting him all week and people getting annoyed by
05:46that, saying, oh, I thought he was supposed to be fully focused on Crawley and he was
05:49reading texts from Liam Kelly.
05:50I get texts during the day, I'm fully focused on my job.
05:53It's quite simple.
05:56So, there's the odd people who are annoyed that he's gone to MK Don, they can't believe
06:00he's gone there.
06:02But I think the general consensus is what he did for us, he can do whatever he wants,
06:07he deserves.
06:08They don't begrudge him at all and he deserves to do what he wants.
06:11So, yeah, I think the general consensus is he is a legend and always will be because
06:18he gave memories that they will never forget.
06:21I've seen some dramatic fans saying that's it, they're done with the club now.
06:25I think after all the players and now the manager's gone, they've had enough.
06:28But I feel like that's a bit knee-jerk reactions.
06:31And I feel like, as Mark said, the majority will get over it quickly.
06:37I think football is obviously very fast-paced and if a new manager comes in and starts doing
06:42well, I think the fans will quickly be happy.
06:46Absolutely.
06:48This is kind of related and we don't mean to sound like we're doom-mongering, but Sam,
06:53how potentially derailing is Lindsay's departure to Crawley Town this season?
06:57They certainly made a bright start to the League One campaign, but I think you said,
07:00Mark, was it winning this in four at the moment?
07:02Am I putting the facts wrong there?
07:04They won the first two games and they've drawn one and lost three since.
07:10How do you think this will affect their season?
07:13It's a tough one to call, isn't it?
07:15In terms of the performances, they've only really had one bad one and that was against Barnsley.
07:20I think they've been really unlucky, especially in those last two games against Stockport and Wrexham.
07:25Stockport I thought they should have won.
07:27And from what I've read about Wrexham, they could easily have won that.
07:31They were very unlucky to have lost it.
07:34It's difficult.
07:35It's one of those where I feel like if Scott Lindsay had stayed, I would not have been
07:39worried at all about them staying in League One for another season.
07:42The performances were so good.
07:44They were really putting their stamp on things so early on in the season.
07:48You felt that results would then follow.
07:50Now with Scott Lindsay gone, you just wonder what's going to happen.
07:53It all depends on who comes in, how well the players adjust to a potential new style.
07:58I feel like whoever comes in needs to just let the players continue where they left off
08:04and maybe wait a little bit before putting his own mark on it.
08:07Because that could potentially fall apart a little bit.
08:11I think Scott Lindsay has obviously done such great work in building the foundations there.
08:16One thing I should have mentioned before actually, I think Scott is probably seeing
08:19MK Dons as a chance to go for a bit more stability.
08:21Obviously when you think last season, he worked out some miracles with a completely new squad.
08:26They've now all left and now he's got to do it all again with a new group.
08:29It feels like maybe MK Dons might have that more stability financially
08:32and be able to keep players and not sell them each season.
08:35Which obviously is a different model completely to Crawley.
08:38So it will be interesting now with the new manager how they'll adapt to that Crawley
08:42style of transfers really.
08:45The way they work in the business side of things.
08:49So it's a difficult one to call.
08:51I really hope the new manager comes in and just takes it slow
08:54and lets the players continue where they left off really.
08:56Because the performances have been so good.
08:58And I feel like if they just keep performing like that,
09:01the points will come and there won't be any reason to panic as such.
09:05But obviously all teams go down from day one.
09:07So there is obviously that big, not a lot of room for error basically.
09:15You've got to think about the January transfer window as well.
09:18Because you'd imagine Lindsay will come knocking for a couple of players.
09:22We know how much he loves Jay Williams, Ronan Darcy, people like that.
09:26He likes all the players.
09:27But he seems to have a real connection with those two in particular.
09:30And I've seen fans already saying this, leave him alone kind of thing.
09:35If he adds those to the current MK Dons squad, they'll be flying.
09:41It's going to be tough.
09:45I've listened to a couple of football podcasts talking about Arnie Slott at Liverpool.
09:49He hasn't made any big changes yet.
09:52He's sort of carried on what Klopp left.
09:55And yes, he will implement his changes eventually.
09:57But he's not made any wholesale changes because he could go wrong.
10:00So like Sam said, you just hope the new manager, whoever it may be,
10:03does a similar thing, just keeps it going.
10:06Same playing style if he can, etc.
10:08And then start to implement their own things.
10:10Because if they do that, like Sam said, the performances have been really good.
10:14So hopefully that will continue.
10:16Joe Hart was talking about it on TV the other day as well, actually.
10:18He was saying that when Brendan Rodgers replaced Andrew Foster-Crobb at Celtic,
10:25he did a very similar thing where they had such a good style of playing
10:28and ethos at the club that Brendan didn't want to change that too much.
10:31And Joe Hart said he really appreciated that and all the players did.
10:34So I know it's a different situation obviously at Celtic.
10:36But that kind of thing I think does help when a manager is so loved and so respected
10:40and has made such a stamp on the club.
10:42It's important you don't wipe that away straight away.
10:46And you kind of keep a little bit of what he was doing.
10:48Absolutely.
10:49We obviously don't mean to speculate,
10:51but we've brought up the fact that MK Don's both two former Crawley players.
10:56Do you think that made his decision a little bit easier, Sam,
11:00in the fact that he's already got two players there,
11:02or three players there actually, that know what's wanted from them?
11:05Yeah, I think that probably has impacted things.
11:08He obviously knows the players and I think that's something we have seen
11:11when he was at Crawley.
11:12He liked to bring in players that he was familiar with
11:14and obviously knew in the past and definitely did help him.
11:17So I feel like that's probably impacted his decision.
11:20Because obviously Loris Maguire and Liam Caddy especially
11:22were so crucial to that promotion campaign.
11:25So yeah, I'm sure that went into his thinking.
11:27But there's probably lots of other factors.
11:29And as I say, obviously it works for him on a personal basis
11:33as well as a professional one.
11:34Absolutely.
11:35And we've touched upon Lindsay's achievements at Crawley Town
11:39and his 20 months in charge, Mark.
11:41What will his legacy be and how hard will it be to replace him?
11:46Well, I did ask him what he thinks his legacy will be
11:49and he used the words, achieving the unachievable,
11:52was how he saw his time at Crawley, which is absolutely spot on.
11:56Because they did.
11:57Nobody expected them to do what they did last season.
12:00But I think, and it was something Tom Allman said
12:03at the awards dinner last year, he's made everyone believe again.
12:08Crawley fans were at probably the lowest they'd ever been at
12:12when Lindsay joined.
12:14I think it was third from bottom when he joined.
12:17They looked doomed and they went on a little run from then actually
12:21where they were I think second from bottom, possibly even bottom.
12:24And they looked absolutely doomed and he sort of turned it around.
12:27So I think just the fact that he made the fans believe again
12:30is something that he should be very proud of.
12:33Because all football fans for any team can be difficult at times.
12:39If they're not winning, they're all doom and gloom.
12:42If they're winning, yeah, blah, blah, blah.
12:44But yeah, I think he just made everyone believe again
12:48and he gave them the best possible memories.
12:51But hard to replace him?
12:53It won't be hard to replace him because there's plenty of managers out there.
12:56But replacing what he's achieved and what he's done
12:58is a completely different thing.
13:00How long did it take Wagmey to find the right person the first time?
13:04A long time. Was it five managers?
13:07Four or five managers in the end?
13:09Yeah.
13:10Yeah, Betsy Everington, Lewis Young.
13:13I know Lewis Young was interim and that
13:15but people argued he should have got the job.
13:18So let's just hope it doesn't take him as long again to find it.
13:22I've written a little opinion piece today actually just saying
13:25Scott Lindsay performed miracles, now it's Wagmey's turn to perform one
13:30by finding the perfect replacement.
13:32It won't be easy.
13:34We've seen it with Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger.
13:37How long does it take to find that person
13:40to replace an absolute legend at the club?
13:43Absolutely. We're talking about replacements.
13:46Who are the early favourites to replace Lindsay, Sam?
13:49And of the early favourites, who would you like to see take up the reins?
13:53Yeah, there's a few names doing the rounds.
13:55I think Mark did a good piece yesterday looking at all the betting odds.
13:58Some early names that are coming out.
14:00But I think the interim manager initially will be Ben Gladwin,
14:03who's obviously the former captain and current coach.
14:06He's among the names that could potentially take the job
14:09on a full-time basis.
14:11Gladwin himself is a 3-1.
14:13So he's actually one of the favourites at the moment.
14:16Former assistant coach Nathan Rooney comes close behind at 4-1.
14:19So that's potentially one they might look at.
14:21Brian Barry Murphy, the former head coach of Man City,
14:24is currently 6-1.
14:26Andrew Crofts has been named as well.
14:28He's obviously the assistant at Brighton.
14:30That's an interesting one, that.
14:32Yeah, it is an interesting one.
14:34Obviously, we spoke to him for the first time at a long time,
14:37actually, after the game against Nottingham Forest at Brighton.
14:40Because, obviously, Hazard had got himself sent off.
14:43He came across well, spoke well.
14:45So, yeah, he could be one of the interests to him.
14:48If he does want to be a first-team manager,
14:50he's obviously not that far to go from Brighton.
14:52So he could be one to keep an eye on.
14:55Pete Wild, the former Barrow boss, is 4-1.
14:58So, yeah, there's definitely quite a lot of options that they probably have.
15:02There's definitely going to be other names coming in
15:05as the next few days come along.
15:08But I think Gary Southgate has got to come in.
15:10That would be the trick.
15:12That's one I'd love to see.
15:17A name that's emerged this morning as well is Rob Elliott,
15:20the former Newcastle goalkeeper.
15:22He's the current manager of Gateshead.
15:25He's suddenly become the 2-5 favourite, which is very interesting.
15:29He's had a really good start to the season with Gateshead.
15:32They're currently fifth in the National League.
15:34Adam Hinshaward's name has come in.
15:37Obviously, down at Worthing, very well-respected in non-league circles.
15:41They've done an incredible job at Worthing.
15:43Second in the National League now with York City.
15:46So, whether it's too soon for him, I don't know, would be quite a big risk.
15:50But, yeah, who knows? There's a lot of names out there.
15:53Speaking to someone yesterday, I've heard that they do want to make a quick appointment.
15:57So, hopefully, it will be quick.
15:59Yeah, I do think Ben Gladwin will be the interim manager.
16:02But, again, no disrespect to Ben Gladwin whatsoever.
16:07But, obviously, he's only literally become a coach this year.
16:10And he helped out a bit last year.
16:12So, that would be a huge risk.
16:16But I'm sure Ben would do a great job and he will do a great job in the interim basis.
16:20But, yeah, I'm not even sure he would want to take a full-time job this early on in a coaching career.
16:25Can Crawley afford to take risks in Ligue 1, Mark?
16:28In terms of their managerial appointment, what do you reckon?
16:31Oh, that's a good question, isn't it?
16:34I think they will take risks.
16:36I think that's what Wagme do.
16:38That's their model.
16:40They'll take a punt on someone.
16:42If you look at the likes of Kevin Betsy, Matthew Everington, people...
16:47Your face there.
16:49They take risks and sometimes they don't work.
16:52I mean, I don't think Scott Lindsay was particularly a huge risk when they appointed him.
16:55I think they needed someone safe.
16:59Going back to how long it will take them to find the perfect replacement,
17:03you hope they don't take too big a risk.
17:05You want someone who has got that Ligue 1 experience.
17:09Considering they are, what are they, 17th I think they are at the moment?
17:12Yeah.
17:13All it takes is two or three more defeats on the trot.
17:15And then suddenly you're in that bottom four and you need to get out.
17:18And you need that experience head to guide the team through.
17:22So, I think they do need someone with that bit of...
17:25I mean, even top-end Ligue 2 experience.
17:27Like Pete Wilde, for example, did an amazing job with Barrow last year.
17:32So, yeah.
17:34It's going to be very, very interesting.
17:36But, yeah.
17:37I wouldn't want to see them take too big a risk.
17:40I like the idea of someone who's done well in the National League.
17:44Because the standard in the National League now is quite high,
17:47as we've seen with teams that have come up.
17:49I know there's a lot of money involved.
17:51But, Wrexham, Stockport, look what they've done.
17:53Notts County, since they've come back up.
17:57But, yeah.
17:58I think, probably, fans will want a little bit of security.
18:01And they'll want to know that they've got someone who knows what they're doing.
18:04Rather than someone like, oh, who's he?
18:06Don Gateshead.
18:07Who's Gateshead?
18:08That sort of thing.
18:10So, yeah.
18:11It'll be very, very interesting to see.
18:13But, yeah.
18:14I wouldn't want to see them go too risky.
18:17Yeah.
18:18Do you agree with that, Sam?
18:19Would you like to see Crawley bring in someone who's at least got football league experience?
18:23Yeah, absolutely.
18:24I think that has to be the next step for Crawley.
18:27I think in the position they're in, obviously, in League One.
18:30Obviously, they've, as I say, had some really good performances.
18:32But I feel like this isn't the time to take any risks.
18:34And you kind of want someone to come in, steady the ship.
18:37I'm sure it'll be an uncertain time for the players.
18:40Because, I mean, a lot of these new players have probably come in because of Scott Lindsay.
18:44I think because of what he did last season.
18:46That kind of model that he's brought in and the style of play.
18:49It was such an attractive style of play as well.
18:51I think a lot of the players probably came in knowing that.
18:54And now that he's gone, I feel like there might be a bit of disappointment amongst some of these new players.
18:58So, I feel like, yeah.
18:59Someone that can maybe just follow in his footsteps.
19:01Someone with a lot of experience and is not going to shake the boat too much and change things too much.
19:06I think it's definitely one that they need to get right to make sure they don't fall into that danger zone.
19:12Yeah, absolutely.
19:13And as I said, we've mentioned all of his great achievements.
19:15But, Chaps, which one stands out to you?
19:17Mark, which memory will you most remember?
19:21And I think I can probably guess which memory this is.
19:23Well, I think Wembley is a gimme, to be honest.
19:27So, I'm not going to talk too much about Wembley.
19:29It was just an incredible day.
19:32And actually, my favourite particular bit from that day was when myself and Gary Smith
19:38went up to the bit where the players come down from collecting the trophy.
19:42They come down the thing.
19:43Scott Lindsay came down, had the trophy, and he just looked over at me.
19:47And Gary went, whey!
19:48And then he came over and gave us a big hug.
19:50But it was actually the way match of MK Dom's in the second leg.
19:56Because they went with a 3-0 lead from the first leg.
19:59And I always remember, I was sitting in the press box.
20:01I had Sam Gatson behind me, the media guy from Crawley Town,
20:05who was so nervous.
20:06And he couldn't relax even when they were like 4-1 up that day or whatever.
20:10He just still was convinced something was going to go wrong.
20:13But the performance that night and the atmosphere from the Crawley fans.
20:18I mean, I've seen comments about MK Dom's being a library,
20:21Stadium MK and that thing.
20:23But it was just incredible.
20:25And another moment in that game, and it was another sort of intimate,
20:30that sounds like the wrong word, between me and Scott.
20:32I somehow got on the pitch afterwards when all the players were celebrating.
20:38And Scott saw me, ran over to me, hugged me, and just said,
20:43how effing good were we tonight?
20:45And then that was a real moment that stuck with me.
20:48Because they were just incredible that night.
20:52And I think it's the most complete performance I've ever seen
20:55from a Crawley side.
20:56Even when they beat Leeds 3-0, there were still moments in that game
21:00where they probably weren't perfect.
21:03But the MK Dom second leg was just an absolute perfect performance.
21:07What about yourself, Sam?
21:09Which Crawley Town memory sticks out for you?
21:12I think, as Mark said, the Wembley day is obviously the obvious choice.
21:16And it was absolutely amazing.
21:17I think both of us were a bit emotional at the end of that one.
21:20Yeah, it was incredible.
21:22I didn't cry. You cried. It was very dusty in there.
21:24There was a lot of dust in the room.
21:26Yeah, it was just incredible that day.
21:28And obviously, it was nice to share that moment with the players
21:32in the mix zone as well for the game.
21:34But I think, as Mark said, the game away at Milton Keynes,
21:38I unfortunately wasn't there for, and I'm gutted I missed that one.
21:41But the home leg against them was incredible as well.
21:44The 3-0 win really set them on the way to that promotion.
21:49That really was the catalyst for it.
21:51I think not a lot of people expected Crawley to have won so convincingly at home,
21:55let alone away.
21:56So it was an incredible day.
21:58It was obviously a packed out stadium.
22:00So the most amount of fans have seen the stadium for a long time.
22:03And it was a real special day, that one.
22:05There's too many to choose from, really, in our season.
22:08And the memories that Scotland have brought to the club and the fans
22:11will live forever, really.
22:12So it was an incredible season.
22:13Yes, very well put, Sam.
22:16Lindsay's last game in charge of Crawley on Saturday just gone,
22:19saw the Reds go down 2-1 at Highflying Wrexham in League One.
22:22Sum that performance up for us, please, Mark.
22:25Sam kind of touched upon it, but it sounds like they could have got something
22:28out of that one.
22:29Yes, they should have done.
22:30Absolutely.
22:31They absolutely dominated the game.
22:33It was similar last season.
22:36I think they had 68% possession in both games.
22:39It was more like 60% this time.
22:41But they dominated in terms of shots on target.
22:43They had seven compared to Wrexham's three.
22:46And, yes, just absolutely battered them, basically.
22:50But again, I think I saw Sam Jordan, one of the Crawley Town fans,
22:54he was saying he was chatting to a load of Wrexham fans afterwards
22:57and Wrexham fans were saying,
22:58you're the best team we've played so far this year.
23:01You should have been in us, kind of thing.
23:03But it was the goal scorer at Junior, Quaterna,
23:06who said afterwards they just have to be more ruthless now
23:09because they can't just keep dominating.
23:11Dominating games, having loads of chances if you're not going to score.
23:14And he took responsibility for a couple of chances
23:17that he missed before he actually scored.
23:19So, yes, it's a game they should have won.
23:22And if they'd won it, they'd have been higher up the table.
23:25I don't know.
23:26Yes, it wouldn't have mattered with Scott Lindsay leaving.
23:29I think he would have left if they'd won that one or not.
23:32But, yes, it's a shame they didn't pick up the three points
23:35because, like you say, you don't want to get into a rut now
23:39for four games without a win in the league.
23:43It's quite a tough one to take.
23:46But, yes, back in action this weekend.
23:48A couple of home games in a week.
23:49So, hopefully, they'll be able to get something from those.
23:52Yes, we'll come on to them in a bit.
23:54But you mentioned Quaterna there, Mark.
23:55He was on the score sheet for the Reds again,
23:57taking his tally up to three in five league appearances.
24:00How impressed have you been with Quaterna, Sam?
24:02He looks like he's on a bit of a hot streak at the moment.
24:05Yes, I think he's been the star man for the season so far.
24:07Right from the first game pre-season that I saw,
24:10he was the star of the show.
24:11Really, really impressive.
24:13He kind of takes the game to defenders and he's a real nightmare.
24:17I think every game I've seen him play has been a nightmare
24:19for defenders to deal with.
24:20None more so than when he came on against Stockport
24:22and completely changed the game within about 30 seconds
24:25of being on the pitch.
24:26So, I feel like that's a really great sign.
24:29He's still really early on in his career,
24:31so I feel like he could get even better.
24:34It was a cracking goal that he scored at Wrexham as well.
24:37Brilliant pass by Ronan Darcy and a really, really good finish.
24:41As Mark said, he obviously has some other chances.
24:44But just to be getting those positions,
24:46he's clearly a real goal threat.
24:48I think he's been really impressive and hopefully it continues.
24:51I think they're going to need him, absolutely.
24:53I think obviously with these games coming up,
24:55you want to start getting some more points on the board
24:57and I feel like he will be the man that needs to lead them to some wins.
25:00Absolutely.
25:02Brilliant. The first of these home games,
25:04Urtsi's Crawley entertain Bolton
25:06with the game kicking off at the slightly earlier time,
25:08at half-twelve.
25:09How do you see this one going, Mark?
25:11I'm quite surprised to see both teams
25:13are kind of around the same position at the table at this stage,
25:15aren't they, I think?
25:16Yeah, they are.
25:17Yeah, Bolton, obviously they lost in the play-off final to Oxford,
25:21the mighty Oxford United, last season,
25:24the day before Crawley won at Wembley, actually.
25:26But yeah, so it's a surprise to see them down there
25:29because obviously Bolton, huge club,
25:31they've been around the Premier League for a long time.
25:33And yeah, to see them down there with Crawley at the moment,
25:37again, it's early days.
25:38Yeah, we've still got to take shape for the league, really, I think.
25:42But yeah, I think it's a great chance
25:45because it's a 12-foot kick-off in front of the Sky cameras.
25:48I think it's a great chance for whoever's in charge,
25:51assuming we think it's Ben Gladwin,
25:53a chance just to really go out there and get a win,
25:57get the fans onside very quickly following the news this week.
26:00And yeah, go for it.
26:02They've got the players to do it, Crawley.
26:04And if they continue, like we've said earlier,
26:06playing the style that they've been playing,
26:08the wins are going to come.
26:09There's a team going to take an absolute battering
26:12from Crawley at some point.
26:14Whether it's Bolton on Saturday or Mansfield on Tuesday, who knows?
26:17But to have two home games now after what's happened this week
26:21with Scott Lindsay, I think is really important.
26:23The fans need to get together, just get behind the side.
26:26There's a huge saying that they won't go now
26:30because Lindsay's left, but that's ridiculous.
26:32The real fans will be there and they'll support, get behind them.
26:36And I think they can definitely get something
26:38from the game at Bolton.
26:39They're obviously not in the greatest of form.
26:41Crawley have just got to go out there and do what they do.
26:44I hope that Clydie Lollos doesn't score against me, I think.
26:47Is he, Danny?
26:48Bad at Bolton, isn't he?
26:49Yeah, fingers crossed that doesn't happen.
26:51I'm not sure we've played that much, actually, this year.
26:53I don't know if he got an injury, I think, early on.
26:56So, yeah, sorry, I should have done more research into that.
26:59But, yeah, it'll be good to see him back.
27:01Corey O'Day got a really good reception when he came back
27:03with Stratford.
27:04So, I think Scott Lindsay said that neither any player
27:07that played last year will always get a good reception
27:09at the Broadfield Stadium.
27:11Yeah, quite right, too.
27:13The Reds then entertained Mansfield three days later
27:16at the Broadfield Stadium.
27:18At the time of recording, the Stags sit 10th in League One,
27:21having won three, drawn twice and lost once in six league games.
27:24Again, Sam Morton, how do you see this one going?
27:27A tough game.
27:28They're clearly a difficult team to beat,
27:30judging from their form so far.
27:32They're only short of the playoff places on goal difference.
27:35They've scored 11 and conceded 11.
27:37And most recently, at the time of recording,
27:39had a last gasp win against Shrewsbury
27:41after they fell behind early doors.
27:43So, obviously, showing they've got that ability
27:46to come back from defeat.
27:48Lee Gregory is one to watch out for.
27:50He's got three goals in the last two games.
27:52It was his fifth of the season against Shrewsbury.
27:55So, a tough game.
27:56It's a tough game.
27:57I think a lot will depend on how things go against Bolton.
28:00Because if they lose against Bolton,
28:02then the Mansfield game quickly becomes
28:04almost a mini-must-win game to stop that rut.
28:06So, you hope they get a positive result against Bolton,
28:09get the confidence going after Scott's departure.
28:12And, yeah, hopefully they can get a positive result.
28:15But I think, yeah, four points for the next two games
28:18would be positive.
28:19Obviously, you're going to be aiming for six out of six.
28:22But I think Mansfield's going to be a really tough game.
28:25Purely speculative, Mark,
28:27but if Crawley win the next two under Ben Gladwin,
28:30does that put him in pole position for the Reds' job?
28:34I don't know.
28:35I don't know.
28:36Like I said, I think it's too early for him
28:39in his coaching career.
28:41I mean, he's got to get a job at some point.
28:43So, if there are two brilliant performances...
28:46I mean, I think we found when...
28:48It was like when Lewis Young was made interim manager.
28:51Crawley had a real good manager bounce then, didn't they?
28:54And I think at that time he had to change the style of play
28:58and they went back to basics and that.
29:00But he hadn't had a manager's job then.
29:02But all the players wanted him.
29:04But I think it was too big a risk
29:06because he hadn't had that job before.
29:08And I think that might be the same with Ben Gladwin.
29:11I suspect whatever happens in the next two games,
29:15Crawley will have a new manager at some point.
29:17That hasn't worked at the club before.
29:20And last one for me.
29:21I'm assuming that new manager
29:22probably won't be in place by Tuesday.
29:24I'm assuming it will be a long, drawn-out process.
29:26But again, purely speculative, Mark.
29:28Yeah, I would have thought so.
29:29They've taken their time before.
29:31We saw, I think, it was when Everington was appointed.
29:33There was quite a long time between
29:35because they said they wanted to get the decision right.
29:37So, yeah, we know how that worked out.
29:39But, yeah, I don't know.
29:43I think they do need to get someone in quickly
29:45because, yeah, part of me thinks
29:48that Ben Gladwin will join up at MK Dons
29:51with Scott Lindsay at some point
29:52because I know how much Scott regards Gladwin
29:56and I know how much Gladwin regards Scott as well.
29:58So part of me thinks this might be
30:00just part of a transition period.
30:02But just to have some stability
30:05for the next couple of games.
30:07And then we'll see.
30:08But you never know.
30:09It could be.
30:11Wag me, shock me all the time.
30:13So who knows?
30:15Yes, we shall wait and see.
30:16We'll close out the special episode
30:18with score predictions.
30:19I think both of these are going to be
30:21quite difficult to call.
30:22I don't know how I would predict these.
30:24But starting with you, Mark.
30:25Crawl it home to Bolton on Saturday.
30:26How do you see this one going?
30:28I think they're going to win on Saturday
30:31and I think they're going to draw on Tuesday.
30:33So I'm going to go for a 2-1 win.
30:36It'll be tight. It'll be tense.
30:37But I think they'll get over the line
30:39and keep those fans on board.
30:41Absolutely.
30:42And as you predict the draw, Mark,
30:43how do you see that going on Tuesday then?
30:44What's your score prediction?
30:46It'll be a tough one.
30:47I think Crawley will take the lead.
30:48Mansfield will score second.
30:50And then it will be quite a back-to-the-balls effort
30:52to maintain a point.
30:53I'm going to go 1-1.
30:55Excellent stuff.
30:56And finally, Mr Morton,
30:57how do you see these two home games going
30:59for Crawley Town?
31:01You won't believe me,
31:02but I've written down the exact two scores
31:03that Marcus has given us for both games.
31:05I said 2-1 Crawley against Buckingham
31:08and 1-1 against Mansfield.
31:09So I'll stick with that.
31:10I'll stick with that.
31:11I won't change it.
31:12I agree completely.
31:13Four points would be brilliant from these two games.
31:17Yeah, they would absolutely.
31:18Given everything that's happened.
31:19I think they'll get those four points they're looking for.
31:22I think, yeah,
31:23a win against Bolton and a draw against Mansfield,
31:25I think, yeah, it's about right, I think.
31:27We shall see.
31:28Well, thank you very much for joining me
31:30for this special podcast, chaps.
31:32You can catch up with all the latest sports news
31:34covering everything we've talked about today
31:35at sussexworld.co.uk forward slash sport.
31:38And you can obviously watch more excellent videos
31:40on shotstv.com at Freeview Channel 262.
31:43Thank you very much for listening or watching
31:45and we will speak to you next week.
31:47Thanks guys.