Crawley Town boss 'really pleased' with the transfer business the club is doing - and there are more signings to come

It’s less than two weeks before Crawley Town host Bradford City at the Broadfield Stadium on the opening day of the season – but fans are fearing the worst after seeing more experienced players leave the club this week with Jake Hessenthaler and Remi Oteh both departing.

They have followed James Tilley, Jack Powell, Tony Craig and Kwesi Appiah out the door this summer. And so far Reds fans have seen a number of players come in who, on paper, don’t have a huge amount of Football League experience.

Lindsey says he understands the fans but believes in the club’s strategy is right for the future of the club. He said: “We are talking about players who have been at the club a long time and it’s the same anywhere up and down the country, when fans get used to supporting individuals in a team they get used to them playing and feel they have a connection. I get it. But sometimes change is a good thing, not a bad thing.

"We are looking to improve all the time, we are not just getting rid of players willy-nilly for the sake of it. We are trying to improve what we have got for the longevity of the club and being able to compete at this level of football. The players we are bringing in are younger and fresher in our minds and that’s what we want moving forward.”

And Lindsey said fans can expect to see more players coming through the door. “We are going to probably add few experienced players in,” he said. “But what is experience these days? If you have played 50 games in the Football League that would be seen as experience nowadays. We are going to add to what we have got and we are really pleased with what we have got and the business we are doing.”

Crawley Town’s co-owners and co-chairmen Eben Smith and Preston Johnson also defended the club’s transfer policy when they met the club's supporters’ alliance. The CTSA said in their minutes of the meeting, which took place on Friday, ““The Co-Chairmen highlighted the recruitment strategy of uncovering young players from the lower leagues with high potential. They commented that the strategy has yielded some promising early results and credited Scott Lindsey for his role in identifying and developing such talent.”