Thanks to Sky Sports scheduling, Blues travelled down south to Crawley Town 2 days before Christmas on a Monday night.
First thing’s first, best wishes to the fan who had to receive medical treatment prior to kick-off. I haven’t heard anything definite, but it sounds like they made a recovery which – if accurate – is great news. The kick-off as a result was delayed by 15 minutes.
Fair to say, none of the fans watching whether home, away or on TV were treated to a spectacle. Crawley, despite being in the bottom 4, set out with a solid game plan to press Blues high and not give us any time on the ball, and the press was deployed successfully as Blues struggled to gain any rhythm. They were however unable to break down the strong Blues defence that we’ve seen in our recent run of form and create any chances of their own.
The first half saw a total of 4 shots in total (all coming from Blues) and just 0.12xG, with Jay Stansfield’s downward strike being well saved by Joseph Wollacott in the Crawley net being the only notable chance of the half. A special mention goes to Buchanan’s cross-field volley to Keshi Anderson, which was an absolute beauty.
Half time: Crawley 0-0 Blues
The second half felt more like a typical Blues game of this season, where Crawley’s press slacked off and Blues were able to control the ball a bit better and play with more intensity. Whilst Buchanan was wary of overcommitting down the left hand side, Anderson found himself in behind his full back on several occasions and looked a threat throughout the match.
And it was through Keshi that we finally got the breakthrough on the 80th minute. Iwata played a chipped ball behind the Crawley defence and Anderson timed his run well, before taking a touch and delivering a ball into a great area for Stansfield to meet and clinically nod home into the far corner.
The goal aside, chances and moments of excitement were few and far between. Iwata took on a long ranged effort before we took the lead which went narrowly wide at the near post, and after we went ahead, Laird won a header right by the dugouts and after some interplay with Stansfield, steamed past his man into the box and fired an inviting ball across to Dykes who couldn’t stretch to tap it home.
All in all it was a forgettable match. But the 3 points are all that matters, and by securing them, Blues find ourselves top of the table at Christmas with a game in hand, the players have Christmas Day with their families, and Chris Davies can enjoy his pondering of Burton Albion at the Christmas table with a little less stress on his shoulders.
Enjoy your Christmas Bluenoses, Keep Right On!
Full time: Crawley 0-1 Blues (Stansfield)
Ratings
Starting XI
Ryan Allsop: 6
I almost had as much to do in this game as Allsop did, such was the strength of the Blues defence. But he did command his area well when rarely called upon, and made no mistakes against the Crawley press which deserves recognition.
Krystian Bielik: 6
Not the captain's best game, but no big mistakes either. I think he needs to be a little better on the ball at times if he's playing at right back, as we rarely played out down the right hand side.
Christoph Klarer: 6
Klarer got himself into a bit of trouble in the first half as he allowed his attacker to get the better of him in a dangerous area, win the ball high and force Klarer into a professional foul to stop a dangerous attack. As a result of the booking, he will now miss the boxing day game against Burton. Otherwise, he was strong and used his physicality well against his forwards to keep them quiet.
Ben Davies: 7
Davies coming back into the starting XI has really stopped the leakiness of the Blues backline, and although he often goes unnoticed, I thought he was clearly our best defender on the day. Dealt with everything calmly, a really solid performance again.
Lee Buchanan: 6
Buchanan is still returning from injury, but didn't quite live up to how he performed in his first 2 games back. He seemed a little more cautious to venture forwards and I'm not sure whether that was under instruction or his own instinct, but I felt he missed a few opportunities to play forwards or make a run himself, especially in the first half. Did do his job defensively though and never looked in too much danger.
Tomoki Iwata: 6
Tomoki broke up play well, but couldn't quite get on the ball as much during the first half in particular. He improved in the second, and his shot from outside the box went narrowly wide, but not his best showing.
Paik Seung-Ho: 7
Paik also struggled in the first period, but played much better in the second, driving the team forwards whether by dribbling or picking out an attacker with a pass. He found space easier in the second half and had a solid game in the end.
Keshi Anderson: 8 - Man of the Match
Keshi continued his fine form this season, and looked our biggest danger throughout the match. He always looked positive on the ball and got in positions to receive the ball frequently, with well timed runs in behind mixed in. He got himself another assist with a perfectly timed run and an accurate cross for Stansfield to head home.
Willum Þór Willumsson: 5
Unfortunately for Willum, he's gone the opposite way to Keshi and has lost his early season momentum. I'm not quite sure why he's struggling, but it felt like attacks frequently broke down through Thor and he couldn't find his rhythm and have an impact on the game.
Jay Stansfield: 7
Stanno took his goal well, but will know he could've played better overall. He frequently had 3+ Crawley men marking him, and perhaps needs to try and find a teammate in space instead of trying to take them on himself at times.
Alfie May: 6
Not the game for Alfie, but his workrate off the ball will never go unnoticed by me. He never stops running until he's taken off the pitch, and although the game called for Dykes, the latter doesn't quite press as well and it was noticeable after Alfie was withdrawn.
Subs
Ethan Laird: 7
Laird came on for Buchanan at left back on the 64th minute, and had a big impact on the game. Whereas Lee looked cautious, Laird was aggressive. He nicked the ball from in front of his man a few times, did get caught a couple times too, but his aggression was what we needed. He took on his man at every opportunity and should've registered an assist with the chance he created for Dykes. If he can do this more often, he will certainly find himself back in the starting lineup - and may well be called upon anyway with Klarer out suspended for Burton.
Marc Leonard: 6
Leonard has been making appearances off the bench further up the pitch, as he's struggled to break into the side ahead of Paik and Iwata, and put on another solid display for 20 minutes after replacing Willumsson. He controls the play well, shows for the ball, is aggressive and agile in the press too. With Thor out of form at the moment, I would like to see him start in the 10 and see what he can do.
Lyndon Dykes: 6
Lyndon did his job when coming on, providing a physical outlet in a difficult game and gave Crawley something different to think about. He should've got on the scoresheet though, Laird's low ball across the box was begging for a touch from the Scot, but he couldn't reach it in time to turn home.
Luke Harris: N/A
Harris replaced Stansfield in the last few minutes of the match.
Taylor Gardner-Hickman: N/A
Taylor replaced Anderson in the last few minutes of the match. Shoutout to his interactions with the travelling fans whilst warming up.
