‘The boys have given me everything’ – Crawley Town’s interim manager praise squad after Aston Villa victory in EFL Trophy

With several names being tipped for the permanent role, the former Crawley player has given himself the best chance to succeed former head coach, Kevin Betsy.

“Since I’ve been in charge, the boys have given me everything,” said Young after Tuesday night’s game. “Since I’ve been trying to lift the mood around the club, the boys have been fantastic.”

Villa’s Sebastian Revan charged through the Crawley midfield and opened the game in the 13th minute just outside the box. With what could’ve been a mountain to climb for the Reds, in the end their high press got the better of the travelling Villains.

“When you see how we want to do things; be on the front foot and play aggressively, we’re going out there to put on a show and compete,” said Young. “Like I said to the players before the game, winning football is the best football, no matter who’s in front of you.”

Goals from Jayden Davis, Aramide Oteh, Mark Marshall and Dom Telford marked a strong performance from Crawley all-round with plenty of fringe players making an appearance. Oteh for instance, who scored either side of half-time to put his side two goals ahead, is just one example of Crawley’s strong depth.

“He’s been a player I’ve had to micromanage with training at times this season,” said Young on Oteh. “I’ve had to try and keep his head at times because he’s been unable to get more minutes but he’s no the only one. There are several players that are frustrated and to play but only eleven can go out there and start. I understand the frustration but as long as they keep giving me everything, they’ll get their chance eventually.”

League Two’s top scorer last season, Telford, wrapped Crawley’s victory with a composed penalty in the 94th minute. After a tireless performance, the former Newport County man deserved his reward.

“We’ve obviously brought in a quality striker in Dom Telford,” said Young. “He’s really impressed me today with his hard work and tenacity, and never giving up. I’m not going to let him stop now, he knows that’s what he’s got to do to stay around it.”

Crawley’s fans have had a tough start to the season after only two wins after 13 opening league games. However, on the impact their consistent support has had, Young said, “It was an EFL trophy match, but the fans were brilliant again. I’ve got to give a little shout out because they were fantastic, and you could hear them right up until the end. We had a sticky period at one point, but they pushed us onto the final victory.”

Young has now pushed Crawley onto five points after three Football League trophy games after beating Villa’s youngsters. The task now is to prepare for Saturday, where the Reds could rise four places in the league.

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