Crawley Town co-owner gives update on search for new manager - 'The club will not lack for options in this process'

The former Arsenal pair left the club on Sunday following their fifth consecutive defeat – and just one win in 12 league matches – and now the search is on for a new manager to get Crawley off the bottom of the League Two table.

Reds fans had been called for Betsy to be sacked for a few weeks following defeats at Doncaster and at home to Stevenage but it was the 3-0 defeat at Grimsby which lead owners WAGMI United to take the decision to part ways.

Johnson said: “We’ve been thoroughly evaluating the direction of the club for weeks now, and I actually came over to the UK early to take a more hands-on role in that process. We took action once we had all the necessary information and the appropriate path forward was clear.

"It’s never easy to have to make a change like this. I know a lot of people just see Kevin and Dan as figures they see from a distance at a match or faces on TV. But for those of us at the club, we know them as people away from the pitch too and they’re both great guys.

"So it’s certainly sad to see them go from that perspective, and it’s unfortunate that it didn’t work out on the pitch, but we’ll always do what we need to do to help this club reach its goals and we wish Kevin and Dan the best in what comes next for them.”

As always, the bookies are having their say with Bromley manager Andy Woodman and former Motherwell and Salford City boss Graham Alexander the current favourites, with interim manager Lewis Young also among those tipped to be appointed. But Johnson and co are determined to find the right person to taker the club forward. But as with the Betsy appointment in the summer, they will not rush.

Johnson said: “We don’t have a specific timeline to share at this time. Obviously, our full support is behind Lewis Young as our interim manager and we have full confidence in his ability to get our players ready to play while we take the time needed to identify the right fit to carry the club forward.”

But one thing is for sure, they will not be struggling for possible candidates. Johnson said: “We had the opportunity to speak with a number of highly qualified managers this past summer, and it’s possible that we may look to speak with some of them again.

"At the same time, we’ve been inundated with calls and messages from countless candidates expressing interest in the job over the last few days, so it’s safe to say that the club will not lack for options in this process. The most important thing for us to do is focus on finding the right candidate to help get our season back on track and headed toward achieving our goals.”

Reds face Newport County on Saturday as they look to get back to winning ways.

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