'It's a bit unfair' - Crawley Town boss makes suggestion to sort out festive fixtures to make it fairer

The Reds have a packed schedule with five matches in 13 days, which starts with Birmingham on Monday, December 23. That fixture was moved from the original date on Saturday, December 21 and the Boxing Day trip Leyton Orient was also moved forward to a 1pm kick off.

They then face one of their longest journey’s with a trip to Exeter on Sunday December 29.

It’s a tough schedule and Elliot said there doesn’t seem to be any thought about clubs’ situations, but also accepted if players want to play at the top level they need to use to these kinds of schedules.

"It’s Catch-22,” he said. “It's an annoyance because there's no sort of thought into our situation. We're playing late in the morning, it's probably going to be a tough game, but a team that's sort of near us in the table and they get five days rest and prep and we have to play late on the Monday.

“The lads won't get to bed until three or four o'clock in the morning after a night game, that's just how it is. And then 36 hours later, you're playing a game against some of the lads who have trained on the 24th. But then the other side of it, that's part and parcel of being a professional footballer and if you want to play at the highest level, then you've got to be expected to play Sunday, Wednesday, Sunday. The top players do it, Champions League, Internationals, all of it. And I think it's got to be something you embrace.”

On Fixture Release Day, previous boss Scott Lindsey highlighted the Exeter game on Sunday, December 29 as a game he ‘didn’t understand’. And Elliot believes there should be more thought when it comes to sorting the fixtures out.

"I think you've got to sit down and speak to ex-players and ex-managers when you do the fixtures. I imagine it's not easy to organise but you've got to think about it.

“When the fixtures get released then maybe ask clubs to put through any issues in terms of logistics for fan, for example. You're seeing like cup games on a Monday night, on a Tuesday night, fans travelling 300-400 miles etc and it's similar to the Exeter one after Christmas.

“Things are tight for people around Christmas and people spend a lot of money and then trip to Exeter on top and people will prioritise their football. You have to make sure that you make it inclusive for everyone and then on the footballing side, to be honest with you, I think it's just about having a competitive fairness. “It's brilliant that we're on Sky against Birmingham but not to the detriment of having to play two games in four and a half days.

"Let's have a bit of realism to what is being asked. And also look at the club. We haven't got the resources that other clubs have to have a big squad of 25 first-team players who all have experience, so the fact we have to play the night at the 23rd and the morning of the 26th, it is a bit unfair to be honest with you.

"It's not unfair in terms of life but it's unfair to the lads because we’ve got to give our utmost just to try and survive at this level and then you still feel like you're trying to do it with one hand at your back at an important time.

"Iit’s congested down there at the moment and if you can rally and win your Christmas period then you can really jump up. But if you lose it lose then you can lose ground. So it’s a bit frustrating to be honest with you and I think it's a bit unfair.”