YMCA boss Buckland declares: '˜We can hold our heads high'
They really took the game to their professional opponents and twice could have taken the lead during a highly-creditable first-half showing.
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Hide AdCrawley eventually opened the scoring in rather lucky style with a goal by Adi Yussuf which took a deflection before beating keeper Sam Smith.
Further goals by Conor Henderson and Sanchez Watt saw Reds through to the quarter-final of the Sussex Senior Cup with a 3-0 win.
Buckland said: “I am very proud of the team. We can hold our heads up high.
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Hide Ad“We put up a good account of ourselves. They (Crawley) had a good side out with first team players coming back from injury. In the first half we were really good and should have taken the lead.
“After 37 minutes they scored a fortunate goal – it was going miles out and it took a wicked deflection.
“They then scored soon afterwards from a Conor Henderson free-kick which was very good.
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Hide Ad“Going into the second half at 2-0 down was difficult to come back from – if it had been 0-0 we might have been able to bring on some fresh legs and grab a goal.
“They (Crawley) managed the game really well – they were making the ball do the work, and kept possession well.
“We were tiring in the second half and they nicked a third goal.”
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Hide AdBuckland reckoned their display defied their unexpectedly-low position in the Southern Combination League Premier Division, where they currently lie tenth.
He said: “It was a good all-round experience. It shows we are much lower in the league than we should be, after putting in a shift like that.
“Maybe players get uninspired playing the same teams at the same venues, week-in, week-out. We should be in the top four or five.
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Hide Ad“We have been hit by some unlucky injury problems, too many to go through but Luke Gedling has to have a hernia operation so will not be back until the back end of the season and Phil Johnson has a calf strain. The list goes on and on.”
Crawley Town boss Dermot Drummy praised YM for making it such a tough game.
He said: “They could have scored twice, and I thought their organisation was very good. Their commitment was also very good and they pressed us in.
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Hide Ad“I was said to the boys we have to break the press because what they were doing what they were doing they were doing very well.”
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