Thoughts of a lifelong fan: Where we Crawley Town and where will be going next year?

The retained list is now out as of the beginning of this week and the players who have been released are Sonny Fish, Jasper Sheikh and Tyreece John-Jules, whilst the loanees, all key players in my opinion, Kamri Doyle, Bradley Ibrahim and Toby Steward have all returned to their parent clubs.

There are another 18 players; Jojo Wollacott, Rory Feely, Charlie Barker, Max Anderson, Gavan Holohan, Will Swan, Jack Roles, Panutche Camara, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, Benjamin Tanimu, Armando Quitirna, Ade Adeyemo, Toby Mullarkey, Antony Papadopolous, Josh Flint, Tola Showunmi, Ben Radcliffe and Louie Watson who are all under contract, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will still be here come the start of the 2025/2026 season.

I would expect other clubs to make offers for at least three of that number and on top of those players we have six who are under negotiations at the moment in Conroy, Forster, Fraser, Sandford, Kelly and Mukena. Let’s hope we retain the best of them and strengthen across the pitch as suggested earlier.

The make-up of both League 1 and 2 for the upcoming 2025/2026 season has become a bit clearer this last week with playoff matches taking place in both the EFL divisions and the National League. The interesting aspect of these matches, for me anyway, are the number of ex Red Devils taking part. Sonny Bradley, playing for Wycombe Wanderers, will have to console himself about missing out on a trip to Wembley, as the chairboys lost to Charlton Athletic setting up an all London League 1 playoff final with Leyton Orient.

Lucky Leyton Orient saw off Stockport County on penalties in the second game and Corey Addai, in goal for the northern side, will no doubt feel aggrieved at one of Orient’s goals being allowed in the first game when Orient’s leading scorer, Kelman, put the O’s ahead from a blatantly obvious offside position. He was about as far offside as James Tilley’s shot was over the Orient goal line a few years back. I wonder if the referee apologised for the mistake, which cost the Hatters promotion?

The League Two play-off final will be between Matt Sadler and Darren Byfield’s Walsall and AFC Wimbledon, complete with ex-Red Devil James Tilley, in their side. Personally, I would love Walsall to win the final because it would mean a renewal of our rivalry with the Plough Lane Phoenix club and a shorter away trip.

In the National League the playoffs are a little more complicated. The Champions (including Dom Telford) are automatically promoted, with the second and third teams, York City and Forest Green Rovers receiving byes to the playoff semifinals.

Fourth placed Rochdale (complete with ex Red Devil and Tanzanian international Tarryn Allarakhia in their side) lost to seventh placed Southend United at home by four goals to three after having led three one, whilst Oldham Athletic won a battle of the roses encounter by four goals to nil against Halifax. This means that the dream of having another “localish” match with Southend United lives on until June 1st at least.

One club we won’t be playing next season is Bradford City, who I have always thought of as a club who look down on the rest of us, thinking that they deserve to be in a higher league by some divine right. However, my opinions have been mellowed this week because I watched the “Unforgotten - The Bradford City Fire” documentary on BBC.

If you haven’t watched it yet, I urge you to do so. In it you will recognise, I hope, that every club is made up of the same variety of characters and that there is more that unites us than divides us. I pray that we may never experience what they did, forty years ago, but I know that if we did, we would come through it as they did, stronger than before.