Crawley Town player ratings: One 9 and plenty of 7s as Reds see off Rochdale

Peterborough loanee Pemi Aderoju fired the Reds into an eighth minute lead but Dale equalised through Ethan Ebanks-Landell’s 54th minute header.

But the visitors regained the lead in the 72nd minute through Louie Watson’s penalty, following a foul on Aderoju in the box.

Here’s how we rated the Reds at the Crown Oil Arena:

Nick Michalski – 7 – First start for the teenage goalkeeper on loan from Blackburn Rovers and dealt with the occasion reasonably well. Looked calm on the ball when Crawley decided to play out from the back but at times sold his kicks short when going direct. He made a really important tip away from Mani Dieseruvwe who looked bound to score had he not deflected it away from the Dale striker.

Charlie Barker – 7 – Another solid shift from the centre back who was very disciplined defensively, knowing when to follow Dajaune Brown when he drops and when to hold his position.

Priestley Farquharson – 8 – His one-on-one defending was superb yet again. Dealt with Rochdale’s number nine very well, never losing tags on the forward. Put in some brilliant sliding challenges and tackles, and defended the box amazingly alongside Barker.

Louie Watson – 7 – Converted the penalty to get his first goal of the season and clinch the three points for the Reds on the road. Was instrumental in much of Crawley’s attacking play and, though it didn’t always come off for him, he kept persisting.

Pemi Aderoju – 9 – The Peterborough loanee got a well-deserved start after his impressive second half performance against Crewe last Saturday. He battled extremely well at the top of the pitch against Dale’s Ethan Ebanks-Landell. Not only did he get his first goal in a Crawley shirt, but he also won the penalty for the Reds winner.

Jonny Russell – 7 – The Northern Irishman got up and down the left hand side well. He won some good flick-ons for on-rushing Reds players and made some good overlapping runs.

Osman Kamara – 8 – The other Blackburn loanee was absolutely electric down Crawley’s left hand side. Particularly in the first half, he more often than not bypassed the Rochdale full back with ease. He crossed the ball which led to the Reds opener and continued to threaten throughout the game while also tracking back well when needed.

Jude Arthurs – 7 – Another good battle in midfield from the captain. Didn’t seem as influential in Crawley’s build from the back but landed on second balls well and won the ball back in great positions before making intelligent forward thinking passes.

Ade Adeyemo – 8 – Made his 100th appearance in a Crawley shirt this afternoon and the 28-year-old played extremely well. He was probably Crawley’s best attacking outlet particularly in the second half. He won the Reds a lot of corners and delivered many dangerous crosses into the Dale box.

Akin Odimayo – 7 – Slotted in a right back and didn’t put a foot wrong. He executed the ‘aggressive’ nature of the full back role in Colin Kazim-Richards; system very well and performed the defensive side competently too.

Kai Jennings – 7 – The debutant put in a solid shift in midfield and was crucial in Crawley’s press in the first half. He had a great chance within the first couple minutes when he won the ball back high up and went on to have an effort on goal which went wide. Looked very comfortable on the ball and was able to wriggle out of tight areas very well.

SUBSTITUTES

Lewis Richards – 6 – First appearance of the season for the former Bradford City man who returned from injury. Helped the Reds see out the win and made no mistakes.

Klaudio Krasniqi – N/A

Danilo Orsi – N/A