Not acceptable – Elliot unhappy with shaky spell that cost Crawley against Lincoln
Crawley Town manager Rob Elliot says the way his side started the second half of their FA Cup second round tie with Lincoln City was not acceptable.
The Reds had alreadyconceded twice in the first half after going 2-0 up – and a few minutes into the second period, they were 4-2 down, letting in two more that gave them too much of a mountain to climb to rescue the tie.
The Reds got off to a bright start with Jack Roles and Tola Showunmi having found the back of the net, but the away team levelled it before half time.
Within a few minutes of the second half, the Imps found themselves 4-2 up through an Erik Ring wonder-strike and Jack Moylan flick.
Jeremy Kelly got one back with ten minutes to go, but it was not enough and Elliot said: “I don't think it was ever going to be an easy afternoon against probably the best team we’ve played.
“We started really well, then we lost our way, scored the second goal, they stepped on and were even more direct, and we conceded poor goals which we have been trying to cut out. We are down to the bare bones which I can accept a little bit.
“Going into the second half to just start like that, I’m not going to criticise these lads because they’ve given us everything but i think we know that's not acceptable for us.
“The first 10-15 minutes is aways a tactical battle where the ball is going to be a bit more intense, and to give them two very poor goals, we put ourselves on the back foot in a game which was very even.
"We dominated the first part of the first half, they finished stronger… they will always be a big threat from crosses – best team in the league at it.
“We shot ourselves in the foot – then when we showed a bit of composure, we figured we can move the ball over the press. We got the goal, we put the pressure on the last 15 minutes, but we couldn't quite get the breakthrough, so fair play to Lincoln.”
It was a tough afternoon for Crawley after such a positive start, but Elliot said they would learn from it and improve to become a better team.
He said: “There’s everything you can take from the game. I think our understanding from when we went 2-0 up and they really jumped us on the press and went man to man and they vacated the middle and went really aggressive.
“We need to understand when to play through the press, and then to move it around. It’s not something that we will get straight away.
“It's disappointing to concede four because defensively we’ve been excellent, and it’s good that we scored three, so you’ve got to take positives as well.”
One positive to take is the Reds now have only one thing to focus on: the league. Currently lying in 20th, they will want to push away from the drop zone, avoiding a return to League Two.
Elliot said: “We know we are underdogs going into every game, but we don’t mind that. We did it last year and we will do it again.”
He also complimented the fans: “The reception from the fans after the game was brilliant, walking around, everyone staying, clapping the fans, they see that they give everything, and sometimes they fall short and that's ok because how many of these players have played at this level before, how many of these players have played this many games before.”
On the manner of goals conceded, Elliot said: “I spoke about it with the lads in the week when we play against the big clubs, I was very fortunate to play against the likes of [Manchester] City, [Manchester] United, Arsenal, and when you play against these good teams, you want them to score good goals and you can say that's because they are very good players, or slightly better than us, but don’t allow them to score goals that we can control.
“That’s what we’ve done well recently, we’ve limited the chances, and we’ve kept clean sheets because we’ve done that, and maybe it’s a nice little reminder for us if we come off it.
“The back three have to play consistently because of the injuries, and they’ve done it so well. Toby [Mullarkey] been really struggling with his back, but still comes out for us and I am not going to tear them down because of one game.
“It is a nice little reminder for Tuesday on where we need to be a little bit more solid, we just need to adapt and go again.”
Chelsea loanee Eddie Beach made his second appearance for the Reds and despite conceding four goals, he impressed Elliot with a fine selection of saves.
Elliot said: “He was excellent. I thought he used the ball really well and obviously been out for a while with his ankle. Because of what happened with Jojo (Wollacott) at Maidenhead we couldn’t take the risk of Jojo getting another collision or an injury
“Beachy has deserved his opportunity because he’s done well previously, and he’s done well since he’s come in. No complaints, I think he’s done well. I would suppose he would be disappointed with the result, but I thought he was a positive.”
Next for Crawley is the short trip to south east London to face Elliot's boyhood club Charlton, a game the Crawley manager is looking forward to.
He said: “It will be a really good game against a very tough opponent. They have the best defensive record in the league, score a lot from set pieces. It’s a fantastic achievement for this club to be going to these places and I think we’ve got to embrace it and enjoy it.”