Crawley Town reveal new manager: Former Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and Peterborough United star takes over at Reds with ex-teammate as assistant

Lewis Young led the side for seven weeks following Kevin Betsy’s 143-day tenure, and in seven League Two games he only lost one game and saw Reds rise from the bottom of the table to 19th and four points clear of the bottom two.

But today (Sunday, November 26) owners WAGMI United and Director of Football have appointed former Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham winger Matthew Etherington, who has brought in former Spurs and Peterborough United teammate Simon Davies as his assistant.

Etherington said: "I am extremely excited. This is a great opportunity for both myself and Simon, and we are raring to go. I have had really positive discussions with the owners over a period of time.

"It is clear to see that this club is set up to be successful. I have known Simon since we were 11. He is a very important person to me and is an excellent coach so I am delighted that he is joining me here. The biggest thing for me is attacking and scoring goals. If you can get that right, along with a lot of other things, you have always got a chance. I am really looking forward to meeting the lads and getting started as Southwater tomorrow.”

Reds director of football Chris Galley said: “I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Matthew and Simon to the club. They both impressed me during the recruitment process, and it was clear to see that their ambitions match those of the club.

"We are well into the season now and are naturally wanting to push our way up the table as much as possible. I am confident that Matthew and Simon are the right people to ensure that happens. I would also like to thank Peterborough for their help in this process and for allowing us to take two valuable members of their coaching staff. This is a great opportunity for the pair of them, and I can’t wait to start working with them.”

Crawley co-chairman Preston Johnson said: “Lewis Young served the club excellently and steadied the ship in what was a difficult time after we had to let go of Kevin Betsy and Dan Micciche, and I would personally like to thank him for his service.

"We are looking forward to building our relationship with both Matthew and Simon. We are very confident that they are the right candidates for the job. It was clear to us that the pair of them are data-driven in their approach, which is paramount for us and will be an even bigger focus for CTFC going forward.

" Matthew is somebody who is willing to take risks and play aggressively, and we are looking forward to watching him in action next Saturday against Swindon.”

Etherington, 41, as been an assistant and caretaker manager at Peterborough while Davies, 43, has managed Posh’s u18s and u23 sides.

Both players started their professional careers at Peterborough before both moved to White Hart Lane in 2000.

Lewis Young leaves Crawley Town with immediate effect.

Etherington then went on to play for West Ham and Stoke City, he also represented England at u16, u18, u20 and u21 level. He was a substitute when Crawley lost 2-0 to Stoke in the FA Cup fifth round in 2012.

The left winger took over Posh’s u18s in 2018 before being made assistant of the first team. When Darren Ferguson departed the club in February 2022, Etherington took over as caretaker manager.

Etherington’s first game in charge of Crawley Town will be on Saturday when they host Swindon Town at the Broadfield Stadium.

You can read more Crawley Town news here.