Exeter City v Crawley Town preview: Can Reds stop the Grecians' lethal front three?

Crawley Town travel to Devon tonight (March 15) to face an Exeter side who could be as high as 2nd by the end of the night.
By Mark Dunford
Published 15th Mar 2022, 07:53 BST
Updated 15th Mar 2022, 07:54 BST

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The Grecians sit in 5th place in League Two but find themselves just two points away from 2nd place Northampton, and two points away from 9th place Mansfield.

With just one loss in eleven Exeter are flying and are a side that always seem to be in and around the play-off hunt. They’ll be hoping this is the season they can finally seal promotion, but they face a Crawley side who have caused them troubles in the past.

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Crawley have gained a habit of taking points from Exeter in the second half of the season and putting a dent in their promotion hunt.

The front three of Jevani Brown, Sam Nombe and Matt Jay have caused many teams problems this seasonThe front three of Jevani Brown, Sam Nombe and Matt Jay have caused many teams problems this season
The front three of Jevani Brown, Sam Nombe and Matt Jay have caused many teams problems this season

Exeter haven’t won the game between the sides in the second half of the season since 2017 with Crawley winning two and drawing two since then.

Crawley will be in for a tough test, especially with how short they may be on numbers.

With Tony Craig going off injured at Port Vale that adds to the list of Jordan Tunnicliffe and Joel Lynch in terms of centre backs who are out injured. The Reds had to play the last 25 minutes with no central defender on the pitch.

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It’s been a horrendous season for Crawley with injuries, as they’ve suffered so many setbacks with players seemingly going down every game.

A depleted defence will be the last thing Crawley need against an Exeter side who have some incredible attacking talent.

The front three of Jevani Brown, Sam Nombe and Matt Jay have caused many teams problems this season, including Crawley, with Jay and Nombe grabbing goals in the reverse fixture.

The trio have 25 goals and 13 assists between them this season, creating a deadly force going forward.

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They’ll be looking to exploit Crawley’s defensive frailty, just as Port Vale did on Saturday, when they put four past Crawley.

The Reds need a much improved performance or could be on the end of another big defeat.

See also Revealed: The dirtiest teams in League Two, the club yet to get a red card all season and where Crawley Town, Northampton Town, Swindon Town and Leyton Orient rank | What is the most expensive away day in League Two? And where do Crawley Town, Bristol Rovers and Northampton Town rank?

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Related topics:Port ValeNorthamptonMansfieldLeague Two