'I think everyone bar four people in the ground could see it was over the line but what can you do' - Crawley Town's Lewis Young after denied goal against Leyton Orient

Lewis Young said he wishes he were in this group of Crawley players after his side were denied a last gasp equaliser when James Tilley’s effort was deemed not to have crossed the line.
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The Reds fell to a third straight defeat as goals from Theo Archibald and Aaron Drinan saw Orient come away with a 2-0 hard-fought victory.

However, the game should’ve finished so differently when to everyone’s bemusement in the crowd, Tilley’s late strike was not seen to have crossed the line by any of the officials as it cannoned down off the underside of the bar.

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Crawley saw a number of yellow cards handed out as they protested, with one going to Young on the touchline. “I’ve seen it back already and it’s two yards over the line.

Lewis Young with Reds fans after the game. Picture by Cory PickfordLewis Young with Reds fans after the game. Picture by Cory Pickford
Lewis Young with Reds fans after the game. Picture by Cory Pickford

"I don’t really want to get another booking and cause more controversy but I think everyone bar four people in the ground could see it was over the line but what can you do?” he said.

The hosts fell behind after only seven minutes and suffered a poor first half performance before coming out a different side in the second. “It shouldn’t have to take some choice words at half-time and obviously decisions made during the first half to come out and have to do that second half.

"I stand here really gutted more for the first half regardless of what we done second half because we couldn’t get any words in terms of everything, our approach, our execution.

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“I’m more disappointed with the first half than positive for the second half but it was only three points, we have to pick ourselves up, we’ve still got one more game and that game may mean the difference between us finishing in the bottom half of the table or top half.

"We’ve got to dust ourselves down but at the minute it just feels disappointing.”

“The intensity we played at, our willingness to run forward, to pass forward, look and think forward, that was different, and then ultimately just down to having the bravery at times to play. It’s hard to motivate at the end of the season when in the back of your mind ultimately, it’s just three points and not a massive league position on it.

“It’s still the same players that have got us 60 points this season which is still a fantastic effort with some of the things that have been thrown at us. I still think these are really good players and that’s why I say I’m disappointed more so as I know their quality and I know the group itself are a lot better than we have shown in the first half.

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“We still have to see it as being a positive season, even though it doesn’t feel like it today but it definitely has been in terms of we’ve got 60 points and one point off last season and still with the chance to better that.

"Definitely we’ve got to take positives off that, and I stand here as an ex-player and I wish I was in that group with the quality and with the people in there.”

This afternoon’s game was the first one attended by new co-owner Preston Johnson, amid the on-going investigation against John Yems, Young was unable to say what will happen next season. “I can’t say much on what’s going to happen next season, I suppose in the next couple of weeks decisions will be made and one way or another, if that means changing playing squad or whatever else then that’s out of my hands, that’s not for me to comment on.”

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