'Control' - Brentford goalkeeper praised after impressive Crawley Town debut

The 21-year-old Brentford goalkeeper’s loan signing at Crawley Town was only announced a couple of hours before the Mansfield Town.

And when the final whistle blew on a brilliant 1-0 win for the Reds, Cox had kept his first clean sheet for the club and had impressed everyone watching – including boss Rob Elliot, who was a goalkeeper who played at the top level with Newcastle United and the Republic of Ireland.

"His style suits the way we play. It was a natural fit for him to come in. I tried to sign him before when I was at Gateshead but he went to Bristol Rovers and played 30 games at this level last year which is one of the reasons we were attracted to him.

“He’s a good goalkeeper, he has experience at this level, he's exceptional with his feet and he’s brave.

“I felt he really helped us control the game. It shows a great mentality to come in after one day, train, meet all the lads and then play. Really pleased with him and he set a good standard.

“That, along with Charlie Barker’s header and the whole defensive display deserved that clean sheet, the whole team deserved it.”

Cox began his career with Chelsea at the age of eight, before joining AFC Wimbledon after a six-year stint with The Blues. The goalkeeper joined Brentford B in July 2021 and was promoted to the first team a year later. Head Coach Thomas Frank has included him in several matchday squads in the Premier League, but the shot-stopper has also enjoyed a previous loan spell to help him gain valuable experience.

Cox was loaned to League One side Bristol Rovers for the 2023/24 campaign, where he made 34 appearances for the Gas.

Matt is an experienced England youth international and was named in the young Lions’ squad for the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, starting in four of the team's five matches during their victorious campaign.

Cox isn’t the only signing Reds made this week. Kamari Doyle joined on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion, and Rory Feely signed from Barrow for an undisclosed fee.

Elliot said: “Kammy is an exceptional, exceptional talent and he’s a lovely kid. He’s been to Exeter and has been exposed at this level. He left there for whatever reason and hopefully that benefits us.

“In some of our transitions I thought his touch and strength was excellent. Hopefully now that gives us options because it’s not about 11 players, it’s not about 16, it’s going to be about 20-22,23 players.”

“Rory is someone we wanted at Gateshead. He’s typical Irish lad, an absolute warrior, gives you absolutely everything. He’s quick, good in the air and he is good with the ball, he likes to travel with it.

“He came over from Ireland three or four years ago and now he has an opportunity to step up and, a bit like Ben Radcliffe, adjust to the level and help us because we need good pros and good people to take us into a fight. Rory’s definitely someone who can do that.

“He’s had a slight hamstring issue so wasn’t ready for tonight but hopefully he will have some involvement on Saturday.

Crawley host Wrexham on Saturday.