Rovers are looking to maintain their rich vein of form as they visit a Crawley Town side seeking to do the same on Good Friday.
The sides occupy the top two spots in the Sky Bet League Two form table with Crawley out to keep their grip on the final play-off spot in the division.
Rovers are in search of a fourth straight win for the first time in three years while Crawley have won six of their last eight matches.
THE LAST MEETING
The Red Devils were joint top of the division when they visited the Eco-Power Stadium in October but it was Rovers who took the three points with a 2-0 win.
Mo Faal opened the scoring after 27 minutes for McCann’s side before leading goalscorer Joe Ironside converted from the penalty spot on 62 minutes to give Rovers daylight in the fixture and bring Town’s five-game winning run to an end.
CRAWLEY’S RECENT FORM
Crawley are on another impressive run in Sky Bet League Two having won six of their last eight in a streak that stretches back to February 17.
That started with consecutive wins against Forest Green Rovers, AFC Wimbledon and Accrington Stanley before falling to a narrow loss at Morecambe in the first week of March.
That was the Red Devils’ last defeat in League Two as they bounced back with wins against Harrogate Town and Notts County before a score draw with Stockport County. Most recently Town ran out 3-1 winners at Tranmere Rovers.
LAST TIME OUT
Tranmere Rovers 1 Crawley Town 3
Sky Bet League Two, Saturday, March 23, 2024
Line-up: Addai, Maguire, Mukena, Wright, Forster (Tsaroulla 88), Lolos, Williams, Gordon (Adeyemo 57), Kelly (Campbell 73), Orsi, Darcy. Subs not used: Ransom, Roles, Sandford, Khaleel.
THE MANAGER
Scott Lindsey took to the helm at the Broadfield Stadium in January 2023 after being poached from fellow Sky Bet League Two side Swindon Town.
A player on the non-league circuit, Lindsey first turned his hand to management as caretaker of Lincoln City but his first permanent spell didn’t come until 2019 with Chatham Town. Lindsey entered the EFL and in 2022 and currently holds a 40 per cent win record with Crawley.
THE KEY MEN
Goalkeeper: Corey Addai
Coventry City academy graduate Addai arrived at Crawley from Danish second division side Esbjerg fB in 2022.
The ‘keeper signed for Barnsley in 2020 but never made a senior appearance for the club. He has made 68 appearances for Town and has made more saves than any other goalkeeper in League Two since his arrival.
Defender: Laurence Maguire
Brother of England international Harry, Maguire joined the Red Devils on loan at the start of this season from Chesterfield.
He made 167 appearances for the Spireites and scored nine goals before making the switch to Crawley where he has notched a further two in 28.
In the middle: Jay Williams
Williams joined Crawley in the summer transfer window – just one month after agreeing terms with National League North side Brackley Town.
His most prominent spell came with Banbury United where he scored eight goals in 63 appearances between 2021 and 2023. Williams scored his first goal in a Crawley shirt last time out after 33 games.
Up top: Danilo Orsi
Striker Orsi is enjoying his most prolific season in the EFL this term having scored 16 goals in 37 appearances since arriving from Grimsby Town in the summer.
The former Eastern Florida State College player made the step up to the Football League with Harrogate Town in 2021 and has found the back of the net 30 times in three years since then.
HISTORY
Crawley Town were formed in 1896 but rose to prominence in 2011 after a stunning FA Cup run that saw the club reach the fifth round before narrowly losing 1-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
At the end of that season Town won promotion to the Football League and followed that up with promotion to League One in the very next campaign.
Rovers first met Crawley in the 2012/13 League One season but lost 1-0 at the Eco-Power Stadium in the August of that campaign before playing out a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in the February. The two sides have met nine times in total and Rovers lead the head-to-head rivalry with three wins in comparison to Crawley’s one.
Rovers last win at the Broadfield Stadium came in February 2015 when goals from Andy Butler, Richie Wellens, Nathan Tyson, Harry Forrester and Curtis Main secured a 5-0 win in League One.
TURNED OUT FOR BOTH
Both sides enjoyed the services of striker Max Watters who left Rovers for Crawley in 2021.
The Englishman first joined Rovers from Ashford United but didn’t manage to find the back of the net during his six appearances in the red and white hoops.
After four loan moves away from South Yorkshire, the forward joined the Red Devils in 2020 and scored 16 goals in 19 before earning a £1million move to Cardiff City. Watters now operates in League One with Barnsley.
Contributor: Jefferson Hall-Nolan
*****
Can't join us for the next game? Keep up with the action with iFollow Rovers
