Crawley Town player ratings: 9s for goalscorers and plenty of 8s as Reds beat Exeter City

After both Burton and Bristol Rovers lost, Crawley are now three points from safety, and survival is very much a possibility with two games to go.

Crawley had a blistering start to the game by scoring twice in the opening 10 minutes. After Rushian Hepburn-Murphy saw his original shot parried away by Joe Whitworth, the forward reacted quickest to smash in the rebound and break the deadlock.

Two minutes later, Panutche Camara doubled the hosts lead with a curled effort that was placed into the top corner, and just out of reach of a diving Whitworth.

The home fans thought Jeremy Kelly had added a third goal for the hosts after he skipped past three players and had a low strike at goal but his effort had nestled into the wrong side of the side-netting.

The midfielder then had an effort blocked on the line after an incredible solo run where he went round the keeper but Hepburn-Murphy tapped in the rebound to give Crawley a three-goal advantage.

Exeter managed to get one goal back before half-time, with Caleb Watts finding the back of the net from a looping header that went in off the crossbar.

Unlike the previous fixture where Exeter managed to score 3 second half goals to salvage a 4-4 draw, Crawley slowed the game down and prevented any moments of interest from occurring.

The best chance of the half fell for Charlie Barker whose tame effort was comfortably saved by Whitworth.

Here are our Crawley player ratings:

Toby Steward-8 A calm and composed performance from the goalkeeper who wasn’t tasked with a lot. On the ball he looked comfortable and was able to pick out teammates with his long passes.

Charlie Barker-8 He had a few moments of uncertainty, but overall it was another good performance from the young defender who has solidified his place in the Crawley defence.

Dion Conroy-7 A fairly controlled performance in the middle of the defence. With 10 minutes left to go, he almost gifted Exeter a goal which would have got the visitors back into the game but was saved by Steward.

Ben Radcliffe-8 A dominant performance from the defender who has been limited for chances in recent weeks. He controlled the left-hand side and kept Ilmari Niskanen at arms length all game.

Jeremy Kelly-9 An excellent performance from the midfielder, who on another day has two goals to his name. He was untouchable on the ball and skipped past opposition with ease. He also picked out passes that very few people would. Attacking wise, it was a Messi-like performance.

Jack Roles-7 Looked very good on-the-ball and played some enticing crosses into the box. He could have been stronger defensively on a few occasions where he was beaten too easily, but for the most part it was a good performance from the midfielder.

Max Anderson-8 Picked up his first start since Scott Lindsey returned to the club and was very calm and controlled in the middle of the pitch. He didn’t put a foot wrong and can be proud of how he performed.

Liam Fraser-8 He worked well with Anderson in the middle of the pitch and calmed the game down in the second half to lower Exeter’s attacking threat.

Panutche Camara-9 A brilliant performance from the attacking midfielder who caused Exeter problems every time he was on the ball. Camara’s brilliant link-up play with Hepburn-Murphy resulted in him getting on the scoresheet with a neat curled finish. Replaced in the 70th minute.

Gavan Holohan-8 It was only his second start this season and he looked lively in Crawley’s midfield. He challenged for every ball and looked to kickstart some forward play when in possession. Almost got on the scoresheet at the end of the first half with a diving header that went over the bar.

Rushian Hepburn-Murphy-9 The forward had an incredible first half with two goals and one assist. He was a constant threat and was unlucky to not have a hatrick.

Subs

Kamari Doyle-8 The attacking midfielder gave Crawley a different dynamic for the final twenty minutes with him holding up play and slowing the game down as much as possible. A smart cameo from the loanee.

Armando Quitirna-7 Looked good on the ball and was a constant threat down the right-hand side.