Five things we learned as Crawley Town fight back to earn point against Chesterfield

Here are five things we learned on Saturday afternoon (October 10).

A fighting spirit

We saw a completely new side to Colin Kazim-Richards’ side yesterday afternoon, particularly within their mentality which has seen a massive shift.

Where in previous games the Reds would typically caved in and crumble when going two goals behind, they battled “showing fight, grit and character” to earn themselves a point.

To be a successful team at any level, you have to have the right mentality above ability and quality as that is the main stumbling block.

Yesterday’s result proved to the players what they can achieve when they dig in, and now they have that blueprint to build on.

More impact off the bench and what a full compliment can offer

Crawley yet again benefitted from the impact players made off the bench, this time with Gianmarco Di Biase particularly impressing on this ocassion, scoring from the spot with a composed finish before being marked down as getting the final touch for the equaliser.

Not just himself but the likes of Osman Kamara and Nathan Tinsdale, albeit the latter came on in the first half after Akin Odimayo was stretchered off with an injury; however, both provided a real threat and offered a different dynamic.

With Crawley seeing players coming back from injuries, like Vito Mannone, Kai Jennings and Stephen Duke-McKenna, it’s really important to have a full compliment and squad depth, especially when the winter months come around with the congested schedule.

Unforced errors

Mistakes of their own doing are still costing the Reds in games, whether that be a misplaced pass, a poor clearance, or getting caught in possession of the ball.

Yesterday’s game saw two moments of pretty poor defending, the first not closing down the cross quick enough and the second not defending in the box very well to put it simply, and Kazim-Richards said that “every big chance Chesterfield had was an unforced error by us.”

Arguably they were lucky to not concede more than just the two, but they need to sharpen up in key moments to give themselves a better chance to get something from the game.

Physicality, Duels & Possession

One positive to take away from the game was definitely the way Crawley battled and went toe to toe with a very physical side in the shape of Chesterfield.

The Reds won most of their duels both aerially and on the ground, as well as landing on a lot of second balls which was really important and winning a fair share of first contacts.

Crawley were able to then use this to dominate large spells of the game and that was crucial against a side like Chesterfield who are in the top three of teams with the highest average possession stats alongside the Reds who are in the top five.

Fans let their frustrations known

Crawley supporters were very vocal when their side went 2-0 down, saying Kazim-Richards’ time was up and calling for the manager to be given the sack.

The fans continued to sing the same chants even after the Reds pulled one back and the reaction on the pitch ultimately put a zip on those voices when Crawley equalised.

Patience is beginning to wear very thin for Reds fans, and at the full-time whistle Kazim-Richards did not proceed to do his usual applause of the fans but rather headed straight down the tunnel.

When asked in his post-match whether he had any comments to make regarding the fans chants, he said “a lot of people become impulsive at football games.”