Crawley Town v Barnsley preview: Scott Lindsey expecting physical test as Tykes come to town

The Tykes have won one, lost one and drawn one of their opening three league games.

They beat Sheffield United on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup and will come to Crawley in good spirits - and Lindsey says his side will have to be wary of the physical test they will provide his side.

He told us: “We're looking forward to being at home again. We like being at home. It’s against a really experienced manager in Darrell Clarke. He is someone I like a lot and have got a lot of respect for.

“It’s tough opposition in the shape of Barnsley, who have some really strong, powerful players.

“We will have to be at our very best in order for us to get anything from the game.”

He added: “It’s probably the most physical test that we've come up against up to now, actually thinking about it with the teams that we've played. no disrespect to them.

“In terms of preparation for that, we don't change too much. We try to make it about us.

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“We have to be mindful that they will throw a lot of balls in our box. They will ask a lot of questions and we have to be ready for that.”

One Barnsley player Crawley fans will be more than familiar with is Max Watters. The 25-year-old scored 13 goals in 15 games for the Reds in the 2020/21 season before he scored a £1 million move to Cardiff City.

Lindsey said: “I just think that he is physically strong. He's got [Sam] Cosgrove up there with him and they ask a lot of questions of you. They can both run. They're not just two big players who can't run.

“They can get behind you, they can get down the sides. They have both finished goals, they're both a handful.

“We know that it's going to be tough for our young defenders, but I'm confident with the way they're playing at the moment.”

Harry Forster has been back in training this week and Lindsey hopes to have him involved on Saturday.

Dion Conroy and Gavan Holohan have both been involved in training but Lindsey said both are still a little bit away from being included.