Maidenhead v Crawley in the FA Cup: Elliot relishing clash but has warning for Reds

The non-league outfit had to rely on a replay to get past Taunton Town to set up the tie against the Reds, who themselves will want to get back to winning ways after a disappointing loss away to Northampton last weekend.

The Reds have had many memorable FA Cup matches in the past, including beating Premier League side Leeds United in 2021 and almost getting a replay against Manchester United at Old Trafford a decade before that, and they will be hoping that this will be the start of another historic cup run.

Elliot said: “The FA Cup is such a brilliant competition for every club for different reasons whether you are at the top, whether you are in the non-league or where we are, where we want to use it as a springboard to get back on track after the disappointment on Saturday.

“We must balance that because we’ve got an important game on Tuesday, you just want to win what’s in front of you.

“Looking forward to a good game, a tough game away from home to a non-league club, it will be a great game and a great day for Maidenhead, I club I know well from my games against them as manager of Gateshead.

“Looking it from our point of view to just have that all-out intention of winning the game. You want to win every game but a knockout competition breeds that intensity and you understand you have to go give everything for 90 minutes and progress.” It will be a big day for Maidenhead, with the Magpies hoping for a big upset in the first round – and they will fancy their chances with a home tie.

Elliot said: “It’s a no-lose scenario for them, especially being at home, there will be a good crowd and good atmosphere, it’s a nice tight ground, tiny dressing rooms, the typical non-league club, but it’s a good club. Alan (Devonshire) is a brilliant manager, very experienced, and he’s built a good squad there, a lot of consistent players for the last few years, got some really exciting players, Reece Smith for example.

“So we got to be on it, but we also know for us it’s about if we are on it, and we’re at the races and we play the football we know we can play then we know we will be able to hurt them as well.”

Crawley’s previous game against Northampton summed up the Reds’ recent form, conceding from set pieces, and early goals, but having high possession numbers. But Elliot believes that his team are heading in the right direction.

Elliot said: “Statistically in terms of defending the goal from open play we are very good, we are in the top half of the table which I told the lads today, that it shows that they are getting the structure right and the pressing and everything right and being a ball playing team averaging 60% possession, in every game teams only have a smaller window to attack – but we need to make sure whether they have a long throw, a corner, a set piece, we need to defend them right because if we do that then everything says that we don’t concede many.

“It doesn’t mean that you’re still not at the intensity to defend the open play stuff, it means that you want to get better at the set pieces etc, and it will be a good test against Maidenhead, who have got a good long throw, are very physical.

“I didn’t think (at Northampton) we were on it in terms of our play, how good our play had been v Reading and Lincoln, i thought we were a little bit off it and I think it might have been the emotional side of things as well in terms of the effort was put in on Saturday and Tuesday – to then go into Northampton and when they got the early goal, that is something we need to get better at.”

With there being many games coming up for the Reds, including a league game away to Burton Albion next Tuesday, Elliot will be looking to his whole squad when picking his team, but has to be wary about injuries too.

He said: “I think the squad depth is obviously minimalising now because of the injuries we’ve had – we have got a few players carrying knocks, so there will be a couple who won’t be involved Saturday because to ask them to do Saturday Tuesday is too much of a risk.

“We need to make sure we are fresh as possible for every game. I thought we had a really good session today, lots of detail on the pitch and terms of what was expected in terms of scenarios and the intensity of training was excellent from the lads, and they are such a good group.”