Crawley Town’s promise is apparent but shortcomings show no signs of being eliminated - opinion

At half-time on Saturday Crawley Town led Southend United one nil and sat proudly on top of the embryo League Two table.
Crawley Town celebrate Ashley Nadesan's strikeCrawley Town celebrate Ashley Nadesan's strike
Crawley Town celebrate Ashley Nadesan's strike

That proved to be a false dawn as the visitors raised their game in the second half and the Reds were unable to increase or even hold on to their advantage.

They conceded a late equaliser, squandered two points and ended the day in a more realistic position in the table.

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Their promise is quite apparent. Tom Nichols’ contribution suggested he could become a cult hero with the fans and Tyler Frost produced some excellent build up play that was sadly not matched by his finishing. It may be churlish to criticise an individual player but Frost disappointed on two vital occasions which could have secured the win.

The real problem was a shortage of punch upfront without a target man and, as in the previous games, an absence of genuine quality. Once Southend got back into contention in the second period they looked a more skilful, composed side and it needed the determination and spirit that the Reds have in abundance to keep them at bay.

Crawley’s shortcomings showed no signs of being eliminated. They can win the ball but frequently will then concede possession again by misplaced passes. I imagine the managers are aware of that but I have said for many years that the touchline is not the best place to see and understand what is happening. A seat in the stand or the elevated view of the TV camera makes assessment much easier.

That is not to say it is all bad – far from it. Promise is never fulfilled overnight and patience is essential. Reds have a great goalscorer in Ashley Nadesan. He moved from left to right across the edge of the box to meet Jake Hessenthaler’s pass and clipped it at a right angle to open the scoring.

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Frost was outwitted by Southend keeper Mark Oxley in a one-on-one but woefully skied an easy chance late in the second half. Substitute Ricky German failed to make an impact or much contact when he might have scrambled a late winner.

The value of Glenn Morris to the team was proved more than once but the back line which showed composure in the first half could not maintain their dominance. Nathan Ferguson looked strong in a defensive midfield role but Tarryn Allarakhia’s creative promise remained simply that – promise.

The fact that I can nitpick over an apparent lack of progress from last week might be a good thing. Expectations are already higher as the improvement after just four games is obvious. Reds are currently seventh and in a playoff position. Would it be wrong to look for retention of the present status quo?

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