Crawley Town boss Scott Lindsey praises 'outstanding' youngster in win over Salford City

New Crawley Town boss Scott Lindsey has praised ‘outstanding’ 19-year-old forward Rafeeq Khaleel in his first league start for Crawley Town.

Khaleel made his league debut for the Reds in their 3-2 win over Salford City. The youngster was deployed by Lindsey, who managed his first game for the Reds, in an attacking role just behind their out-and-out striker, Dom Telford.

“He was outstanding,” said Lindsey, on Khaleel’s performance. “He ran a lot, was very smart on the ball and it was a very comprehensive performance from him.”

Khaleel shone against fifth-placed Salford. Whilst Telford was occupied by the opposition defence, Khaleel was able to drift off into open space. When he had the chance, an effort from distance often followed and often, not far from goal.

“The kids been brilliant in training,” added Lindsey on Khaleel. “I’m not someone who’s shy in playing youngsters. If they are good enough they will play. It’s not a gamble for me.”

Khaleel was eventually replaced by another youngster in his attacking role. This time, an defender on loan from Arsenal, Mazeed Ogungo.

When asked why Lindsey opted to deploy a defender so far up the pitch in the later stages, he said: “Maz can run. He’s got good legs and athleticism about him.

“I felt Raf (Rafiq Khaleel) has run out of steam a little with it being his first league start. I thought Mazeed would give us that little bit of athleticism in the middle of the pitch,” and the fellow youngster did just that.

Crawley nearly let go of their three-goal cushion when Matthew Lund scored Salford’s second in the 93rd minute, a quarter of an hour after Ryan Watson also scored. However, Ogungbo’s energy in Crawley press for the final stages was just enough, as the Reds held on to what could be a viral victory in the survival fight.