Crawley Town 'not good enough' says Scott Lindsey after Oldham Athletic defeat

Two goals from Jack Stevens in either half condemned the Reds to a 19th defeat of the season – and an 11th away from home.

Lindsey’s side remain 21st in League Two but are just a point above the relegation zone after draws for bottom-two clubs Harrogate Town and Newport County.

Speaking to club media after the game, the Reds’ boss said: “I think we were second best throughout the game, all over the pitch. I felt that we looked shell-shocked certainly in that first 25 minutes.

“First half - we looked shell-shocked the way they seemed to play on the front foot. We were on the back foot and, if it weren't for Chappie, it could have been three or four after probably 20 minutes.

“We certainly didn't turn up today, especially in that first half and then there's still moments where we have good play, but we were way off it today – way off the mark. So, I'm disappointed with that.”

Lindsey revealed the feeling in the dressing room after yet another poor performance from his players.

“The dressing room is really hurting at the moment – really hurting,” he said. “My job is to pick the boys up and onto the next one.

“We’ve got to continue because we’ve got a fight on our hands now and we’ve got to try and win that fight and, at the moment, we're losing it.

“We’ve got to stick together in the dressing room and fight for one another because I saw a team second best today.”

On the mood in the camp and his own responsibility now, he added: “We know how important it is for the club. I know them players in there - they're all hurting now. I've just heard them. I've just heard it in that dressing room. I've been in there. I know what the feeling is in there. They're heartbroken and they love this club and they become anxious in the way they play because they want the results so hard - so much that ends up affecting them. I've got to try and make sure that they don't think like that.

“They've got to think about performing to the highest levels because if they if they turn up and perform to the highest levels, we know what we can do. It's about getting the best out of the lads now.”

The Latics’ (and Stevens’) second goal frustratingly stemmed from the visitors’ own free-kick.

“We have moments in the game where we look okay, but it's not good enough,” Lindsey said. “It's not enough. We’ve got to do more.

“I thought our set pieces were terrible today and then we have a set piece in the second half and we don't even put it in the box.

“It ends up fading and they counter-attack off the back of that. Our set pieces were poor today and I thought it was just poor all-round.”

Lindsey gave his own explanation as to why the Reds’ struggles have continued, now over three-quarters of the way through the season.

He said: “I think because of where we are in the division, there's an anxiousness that naturally sets in.

“Sometimes you can play with that on your shoulders and sometimes you can blank it out and play really well which, in my opinion, we have done, certainly over the last two games.

“We played with less fear at MK Dons. We played with less fear in big moments, or big parts, of the Chesterfield game. But today we played with fear and I think we're just anxious because of where we are.”

The boss suggested that many of his players lacked the urgency to make an impact on the game.

He said: “You’ve just got to play with the hand break off. Too many players played with the handbrake on today and didn't want to be present in the game, didn't want to get on the ball, didn't want to do their job to their ability.

“I said before the game: ‘We’ve got to make sure that every single player's present in this game today. If we do that, then we've got a massive chance of winning.’

“And I felt there were so many players that were off their game today that we end up losing the game and rightly so.”

It was another desperate away day for the travelling Reds supporters, but Lindsey pleaded with them to stick with the team as they continue to fight to preserve their EFL status.

“The fans are massive - they're the football club. They're the lifeblood of the football club and we've got to give them something to cheer about.

“I'm sorry for what they saw today. I know it wasn't a good spectacle, but I can assure you the players are hurting in there.”

Crawley are back in action against one of Lindsey’s former sides in Swindon Town at the Broadfield Stadium next Saturday.