Crawley Town 0, Forest Green Rovers 0: Stalemate as Reds hold promotion chasers

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Crawley Town gained a hard-fought point against playoff-chasing Forest Green Rover in the penultimate home game of the season.

Forest Green enjoyed a wealth of clear-cut chances throughout the game, but wasteful finishing and great Crawley defending forced a stalemate.

Aaron Collins clipped the post for the visitors, while Sam Matthews hit the bar in the first-half.

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The Reds grew into the second-half, and played some great football, with Jack Powell unlucky not to finish off a team move.

The visitors made a strong start to the game, as Aaron Collins shifted the ball onto his right foot before his low effort was deflected into the side netting.

Collins was then presented with a great opportunity to give Forest Green the lead when he was played in on goal. He rounded Glenn Morris, but couldn’t fire into an empty net, hitting the outside of the post.

A minute later Collins had another great chance to score as Odin Bailey’s deflected cutback sat up nicely for him, but his first-time volley sailed wide of the post.

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Reds were close to a brilliant opener against the run of play when Sam Matthews picked the ball up on the edge of the box before curling an unstoppable effort onto the top of the bar.

Sam Matthews hit the crossbar for Crawley TownSam Matthews hit the crossbar for Crawley Town
Sam Matthews hit the crossbar for Crawley Town

Josh Wright’s backwards header was pounced on by Scott Wagstaff who raced through on goal, but Joe McNerney put him under just enough pressure to force Wagstaff into firing over.

Jayden Richardson came close early in the second-half when he dispossessed McNerney and raced through on goal before firing on target. Morris pulled off an excellent save, before keeping out Richardson’s headed follow-up.

Jack Powell pulled off an excellent block on the goal-line after the ball ricocheted off Ebou Adams and sat up nicely for Collins, whose volley was somehow kept out on the line.

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Crawley came close to a fantastic team goal, with the Reds carving Forest Green apart brilliantly, as Davide Rodari played in Ashley Nadesan, who flashed the ball into Powell in the box, but the midfielder couldn’t sweep the ball in and finish off a wonderful team move.

Forest Green wasted another great chance when Collins raced past McNerney and into the box, before finding Kane Wilson, who somehow had his shot blocked from close range with the goal gaping.

Tarryn Allarakhia came close with his head when he met an excellent Archie Davies cross strongly, but Luke McGee gratefully held the header which was straight at him.

Jordan Tunnicliffe was also close to a late winner when he headed Powell’s perfect delivery over, the last action in a goalless but entertaining draw.

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Crawley: Morris, Francomb (Davies 79’), McNerney, Powell, Nadesan, Tunnicliffe, Matthews, Craig, Maguire-Drew (Allarakhia 67’), Hessenthaler, Wright (Rodari 67’)

Forest Green: McGee, Bernard, Stokes, Cargill, Adams, Collins, Moore-Taylor, Bailey, Wagstaff (Young 84’), Godwin-Malife, Richardson (Wilson 58’)

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