20 Questions: Crawley Town
Dan Jones reminisces about Crawley’s play-off final victory at Wembley, where a familiar face was in goal for the Red Devils
Tuesday 26 November 2024
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Dear County fans, Stopfordians, Crawley supporters, and anyone else from The Football Family joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Tuesday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.
There’s no midweek action for County this week, so let’s chuck the next ‘20 Questions’ feature into your inbox. Our regular Crawley contributor Dan Jones has penned another great piece for us. I’m sure we’ll hear from him again at the end of January when Crawley make the long trip to Edgeley Park for this season’s return fixture.
Today’s edition is sponsored by Not Just Travel and Slimming World Reddish & Bredbury. A big thank you to Paul and Tracy, and also to Shlean.
Thanks also to The New Moon who sponsor our Crawley Town content on the website.
Finally, I’m currently walking every street in Stockport to raise money for mental health charity Mentell. If you’d like to make a donation to help me reach my target, please click here.
Total distance so far: 176.31 miles
Total steps so far: 284,130
Total raised so far: £2,027
Total completed streets so far: 399 (Click here for the full list, which includes reports and photos from every day of the walk.)
Further information on the walk can be found by clicking here.
Des Junior
Crawley currently play in League One, which is the third tier of English football. What’s that like as a division?
Sort of a bargain bin megamix of teams who think they're too big for this pathetic level of football and teams who feel like they've won the lottery just being here, which certainly makes for a nice variety of away days. We fall firmly into the latter category – very much the figurative polar bear in Arlington Texas of the division.
Describe a typical matchday for yourself in Crawley.
I am unfortunately burdened with living in Leeds, so my day usually starts at about 7 in the morning, with a change of trains at Stevenage to get me into our fan zone for about 1pm. Then a couple of beers catching up with the usual faces, 90 painful minutes of football, one or two more beers on the walk back to the station, and after sleeping off the early start on the train home I usually arrive back at my front door at about midnight.
Who are your club’s biggest rivals?
So for most of my time following Crawley it's been AFC Wimbledon as a result of a bitter promotion battle in the 2010-11 Conference season and Steve Evans predictably running his mouth at any given opportunity. There has been an easing of tensions between us recently though after we spanked MK Dons 8-1 in the play-offs and we realised we probably had more in common in despising those arseholes.
What’s your best memory following Crawley?
The play-off final trumps everything. The imposter syndrome of a tinpot club like us being at Wembley was so surreal that I could scarcely believe it was real until I saw the stadium in front of me, but when the final whistle blew it just felt like the perfect culmination of the hard yards we've all put in following this ridiculous football club. It also helped that we had a genuinely likeable manager and team playing beautiful football after the rogue's gallery of pricks that have passed through the club over the years.
What’s your worst memory following Crawley?
Probably the fallout from the John Yems saga and the civil war that erupted amongst the fans. It was just horrible to see the club I love be painted in that light. The Scott Lindsey appointment came at exactly the right time because the relationship between the owners and the fans was reaching breaking point and him as a figurehead for the club allowed us to move past that.
If Crawley Town was a TV show, which one would it be?
The Only Way is Essex (or even The Only Way is Sussex…) if everyone involved was on psychoactive drugs.
What’s your ground called, and how would you describe it for someone who’s never visited before?
We play at the Broadfield Stadium. It's a very ramshackle ground that wouldn't look out of place in the National League South but the owners are trying their best to drag it kicking and screaming into the 20th century. We have a fairly nice bar that we built with our FA Cup fifth round money but the recent installation of automatic pint dispensers hasn't gone down too well. Utter woke nonsense as Sean Dyche would allegedly say.
What’s your thoughts on Stockport County?
I hold largely positive feelings towards Stockport County. The River Mersey stat was always one of my favourite pieces of inane pub quiz trivia until Everton decided to ruin the fun, and we've always had decent enough matches against each other.
Have you ever visited the town of Stockport before?
I have visited the town of Stockport twice. The first was with a friend to watch your 5-3 win over Bolton in an FA Cup replay, the second was one of the more tragic uses of a Valentine's Day night – watching us limp to a 2-1 defeat as we spiralled towards seemingly inevitable relegation.
What colours do you play in, and what’s the best ever kit Crawley have had?
We usually play in red with white as our secondary colour, but I have a real soft spot for our home kit from the 2015-16 season with black and red tapered stripes. I'm sure being 14 and not having to worry about things like rent played a part but it was one of our rare attempts to do something that wasn't an uninspiring template.
If Crawley were playing in the next FA Cup final, who’d be at Wembley as your celebrity fan?
Dan Walker of Football Focus fame has appeared on some fan podcasts to talk about his memories of the club so he'd be the closest person of note we've got to calling themselves a fan. Gareth Southgate and Romesh Ranganathan are from the area too but are understandably unwilling to touch the club with a barge pole.
What’s the most interesting fact about Crawley Town we might not know?
Until last season we were one of two EFL clubs to have never played at either the new or old Wembley. Unfortunately we decided to go and win the bloody play-offs so that honour now solely belongs to Accrington.
Who’s your all time Crawley hero?
Sergio Torres. One of the truly insane stories in English football; goes from working in an Argentinian brick factory to chase the dream of English football – starting at Molesey in the Isthmian League and eventually landing with us in the season we were promoted to the Football League. Someone who always played with a smile on his face and a lovely man to boot. His autobiography is a fantastic read for anyone interested.
What sort of attendances do you get, and how would you describe Crawley’s fanbase?
Our average home attendance recently has been around 3,500 which has been an increase coinciding with our owners slashing ticket prices. There's quite a big generational gap in our fanbase between the older heads to whom we'll always be plucky non-league underdogs and the younger fans who've only really known us as a Football League club. What Scott Lindsey achieved brilliantly last season was uniting the two sides in a genuine optimism that we could be successful.
What’s your manager like?
We're not too sure yet. Lindsey left us for a more lucrative job at MK Dons at the end of September and has been replaced by former Newcastle goalkeeper and Gateshead manager Rob Elliot. He's a much more understated character than Scott was but seems to play a very similar way with a possession heavy 3-4-2-1. He's come into a tough job carrying on from someone the fans loved, and having to put together a squad that is unidentifiable from the one that went up last season, but results are starting to turn in the right direction.
What’s your chairman like?
Interesting is probably the politest way of putting it? We've got Preston Johnson, an aggressively bearded American man who fronts a consortium of crypto bros who planned to fund the club through NFT sales. They spent their first year trying their best to alienate everyone involved with the club by pulling ridiculous publicity stunts as we slid towards the National League, but our fifth manager of the season eased the virulent toxicity that was growing amongst the fans, kept us up, and despite doing it in the stupidest way possible we find ourselves in League One. Whether that was by accident or design we don't really know, but when you look past the peripheral circus they promised to get us promoted in two seasons and they did so we can't complain too much.
What’s it like for a night out in Crawley?
There is one good pub in Crawley called The Brewery Shades which I highly recommend if you're a craft beer or real ale lover like myself. Aside from that it’s just a traipse through various anonymous chain pubs and moody regional night clubs.
What’s the best thing about being a Crawley fan?
The fact that it’s never normal. I'm always having to explain my club to other football fans and for better or worse there's always a daft storyline bubbling whether it’s our ridiculous ownership, cup runs, the various bizarre characters we've had in the dugout from Steve Evans to John Gregory to Yems and more, or occasionally even positive results in the league.
What’s the worst thing about being a Crawley fan?
Also the fact that it’s never normal. These last few seasons have been an assault on my blood pressure so it might by nice to have just one season of mediocrity and consolidation.
What are your hopes for this season?
My only hopes at the start of the season were for us to stay up and that's become even more pressing now we've lost the most important person at the football club in our manager. League One has been a fantastic experience so far after nine years rotting in the fourth tier but I would hate to see us squander the progress we've made.
Enjoyed today’s article? Click here for all of the other ‘20 Questions’ features we’ve published.
Contact Paul and Tracy Franklin for your next holiday
It’s pitch black before The Chase has even started on ITV, it’s freezing, and Storm Bert is still causing havoc across the UK. Now’s the time to start thinking about a nice holiday, eh? Before you commit to anything, it’s worth getting in touch with Paul and Tracy Franklin as they can price match any trip you’ve found with On The Beach, Tui, EasyJet Holidays or Jet2Holidays.
They’ve got plenty of Black Friday offers too, such as a £200 discount on a £2,000 holiday with EasyJet.
As a team, Paul and Tracy Franklin are dedicated to delivering for their customers. They recognise that holidays are often the biggest outlay for people and so their top priority is finding them the perfect getaway. Whether you know exactly what you want or are looking for some ideas and inspiration, they can help!
With in excess of 450 suppliers they can find your dream trip. They have a number of key trade partners which allow them to organise anything from city breaks and fly and flops to cruises, weddings, honeymoons and sporting events across every corner of the globe. From high street names such as TUI, Jet2 and Easyjet to bespoke travel arrangements they can meet your requirements. They pride themselves on exceptional, personable service and for peace of mind all bookings are ABTA and ATOL protected.
Using Paul and Tracy as your personal travel consultants means that they can take all the legwork of finding and planning your trips. They can also deal with any bumps in the road should there be any. There are so many variables to a trip and so many places to look most of their customers are so relieved to have someone do that for them! Others are just glad to be able to support a smaller business that delivers a personal touch, as opposed to some of the travel giants out there. Whatever an enquiry looks like they are always keen to get their teeth stuck in, adding value where they can and learning along the way – the world is a big place!
Visit paulandtracyfranklin.notjusttravel.com for further details.
Lose weight and manage your diabetes with Slimming World
Slimming World have helped thousands of members lose weight and manage their diabetes. Now, they’re partnering with Diabetes UK to make that support even stronger.
“We’ve always directed our members living with diabetes to Diabetes UK for support outside of weight management, so we’re delighted to be working more closely with them,” said Lisa Salmon, Slimming World’s managing director.
“We’ll be collaborating on resources, producing co-branded recipes, increasing our knowledge, and sharing our expertise.”
Through this partnership, Slimming World aim to further deepen their understanding of the challenges and misconceptions people living with diabetes face. They’re committed to supporting their members with the latest and most effective information in diabetes care, and to reaching even more people living with diabetes or at risk of type 2 diabetes with inspiration and advice.
How Slimming World supports members with diabetes
Type 1 diabetes: Taking insulin or other medication doesn’t need to be a barrier to losing weight. Many Slimming World members with type 1 diabetes lose weight and steadily become fitter and healthier.
Type 2 diabetes: Slimming World have advice on managing blood glucose levels, including a five-day low-carbohydrate eating plan.
Pre-diabetes: If you’ve been told that you’re at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, making positive and lasting lifestyle changes can help you avoid or delay a diagnosis in the future.Slimming World’s latest evaluation found that more than half of members with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes surveyed, who had lost at least 10% of their body weight, said they had put the condition into remission. (The study polled 268 Slimming World members with diabetes in May 2020 and was published in the Archives of Diabetes & Obesity in 2021.)
Dreen, a member of Shlean's group at Houldsworth Working Men’s Club in Reddish, has reversed her type 2 diabetes losing 1st 2lbs.
Shlean runs groups on Mondays at Bredbury St Marks Cricket Club and Tuesdays at Houldsworth Working Men’s Club in Reddish.
For more information give Shlean a call on 07725 088549 or email shlean@sky.com.
Photo of the day
The New Moon, Crawley
County fans enjoy a pint at The New Moon before our 1-1 draw at Crawley back in September.
The New Inn
Any Crawley fans (or indeed, any County fans living in that neck of the woods) joining us today? If you’re planing on nipping out for a pint or two while you watch any of this week’s live football, head to The New Moon. Cracking atmosphere and six HD TV’s showing all the action.
Visit newmooncrawley.co.uk for further details.
Today in SK
🎬 Cinema
Two films at The Savoy Cinema (SK4) today. Paddington In Peru (PG) at 4.30pm, followed by Gladiator II (15) at 7pm. Click here for tickets.
🥪 Food and drink
Happy Hour at Covent Garden Café (SK1) between 1.30pm and 2.30pm. If you spend £20 or more you get to roll the dice, and if you roll a 6 your bill is half price!
Try the new house cask ale at The Nelson Tavern (SK1) this month: Timothy Taylor’s Landlord. £2.20 for a half or £4.10 for a pint.
Enjoy a coffee and a cake for only £6 at The Dog & Partridge (SK2). 12pm - 4pm.
Pop in for a pint at Heaton Hops (SK4), CAMRA Pub of the Year for Stockport and South Manchester. Open from 4pm.
Bitter £2.30 a pint all day at The Cross Keys (SK8). Plus, discounts on certain lagers between 12pm and 6pm.
If you’re simply in the mood for a couple of pints today, get yourself down to one of our featured venues such as The Crown (SK2), The Alexandra (SK3), The Crown Inn (SK6) or The Three Tunnes (SK7).
⁉️ Quiz night
The Steelworks (SK6). 7.30pm. £1 per person.
Random photos of County players at other clubs
#56 – Jamie Menagh, Chester
Jamie Menagh made 12 appearances for County during the second half of the 2015-16 season. Started his career at Blackpool before playing for a number of clubs across the North West, including Chester. He’s recently been jailed for seven and a half years for his part in a £250m drugs plot.
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