Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Crawleyvs.Bolton

sportsmole.co.uk, 26 September 2024, 12:47
Crawley Town welcome Bolton Wanderers in League One on Saturday, and while both sides will be hoping to give their season a much-needed shot in the arm, the hosts will be reeling from the news that manager Scott Lindsey has left the club to join MK Dons.

Bolton meanwhile were eliminated from the EFL Cup in midweek following a heavy defeat against Arsenal, and they are yet to get their season up and running after a disappointing start to the campaign.

Match preview

After Wednesday's shock move that saw Crawley manager Lindsey drop a division to sign for MK Dons, the Red Devils come into Saturday's game managerless and on a run of five games without a win in all competitions, with the most recent result being a 2-1 defeat away at table-toppers Wrexham.

Goals from Elliott Lee and Max Cleworth were enough to see the hosts continue their fine form, although Armando Quitirna's equaliser in the 54th minute did have the hosts worried, and on chances created Crawley were certainly the better of the two sides.

It had been a great start to the season for the newly-promoted Red Devils as they won their first four games in all competitions, and even in their narrow defeats to Wigan Athletic and Wrexham and their home draw against Stockport County, Crawley showed plenty of quality in the formative weeks of the campaign.

Lindsey became manager of Crawley in January 2023 and in his first full season at the club he led them to promotion after a dramatic late playoff push, before beating Crewe Alexandra 2-0 in the League Two playoff final.

Now though, the Red Devils will have to look for a new manager and hope that this shock news does not derail a season which had shown early signs of promise that they would be competitive at this level and avoid the drop.

Crawley are yet to name an interim manager, but there are rumours that former captain Ben Gladwin could take the helm for the visit of Bolton on Saturday; the midfielder finished his career at Crawley and joined the club's coaching team upon his retirement in 2024.

Bolton meanwhile come into Saturday's game on the back of a 5-1 defeat against Arsenal in the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening, when goals from Declan Rice, Ethan Nwaneri, Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz demonstrated the obvious gulf in quality between the sides, although Aaron Collins's second-half strike to make it 2-1 did give the Gunners a brief scare.

Their previous league game was however a more fruitful experience with their scintillating 5-2 home win over Reading last weekend, when goals from Josh Sheehan, Kyle Dempsey and a Dion Charles hat-trick helped the Trotters to a superb victory which lifted them out of the relegation zone.

It was a much-needed win for Ian Evatt's side, as they had been on a dismal run which had seen them lose back-to-back home league games; the first being 2-0 against Exeter City and the second being a heavy 4-0 defeat against Huddersfield Town.

For a side that would have been hoping to challenge for the League One playoffs this season it will be a huge source of disappointment for Bolton to be 19th in the table, but at this early stage of the season they are only four points away from Lincoln City in sixth.

Crawley Town League One form:

W

W

L

L

D

L

Crawley Town form (all competitions):

W

L

L

L

D

L

Bolton Wanderers League One form:

W

D

L

L

L

W

Bolton Wanderers form (all competitions):

W

L

W

L

W

L

Team News

Crawley are expected to once again be without Gavan Holohan and Dion Conroy, with both players yet to feature this season but both are expected to be back in action sooner rather than later.

Elsewhere, Jay Williams and Panutche Camara are expected to keep their place in the centre of the midfield, but Bradley Ibrahim could be pushing for a start here should the manager look to rotate.

Further up the pitch, Ronan Darcy and Quitirna look likely to once again support Will Swan in attack, with the likes of Max Anderson and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy having to settle for a spot on the bench.

Bolton are not without injury concerns of their own, with Jordi Osei-Tutu, Carlos Mendes Gomes, Klaidi Lolos, Gethin Jones and Will Forester all expected to miss out here.

Evatt made seven changes for the midweek cup trip to Arsenal, so we would expect him to revert back to a similar lineup which featured in the 5-2 victory over Reading last weekend.

That is likely to mean that Charles and Victor Adeboyejo are expected to return in attack at the expense of Collins and John McAtee.

Crawley Town possible starting lineup:

Wollacott; Mullarkey, Mukena, Flint; Camara, Williams, Anderson, Kelly; Quitirna, Darcy, Swan

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Baxter; Toal, Santos, Johnston; Cogley Matete, Sheehan, Thomason, Schon; Charles, Adeboyejo

We say: Crawley Town 1-2 Bolton Wanderers

Previews by email

Top News

21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City officially announce that manager Pep Guardiola has signed a two-year contract extension. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Girona will be bidding to make it three straight wins in La Liga for the first time this season when they welcome Espanyol to Estadi Montilivi on Saturday evening. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk An in-form Las Palmas will be aiming to make it five wins from their last six matches in all competitions when they continue their La Liga campaign at home to Mallorca on Saturday night. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Following four straight defeats leading into the international break, Aston Villa will return to action on Saturday, when Crystal Palace pay a visit to Villa Park. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Saudi Pro League action will return to the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium this weekend when Al Khaleej play host to the defending champions Al-Hilal on Saturday evening. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Atletico Madrid will be aiming to make it five straight wins in all competitions when they continue their La Liga campaign against Alaves at Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday afternoon. 21 November 2024 talksport.com Robert Lewandowski is a mesmerising goal scorer, but it turns out that's not his only talent. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Crystal Palace may be without two of their key creators when they kick off on Saturday afternoon, as an ailing Premier League campaign resumes away to Aston Villa. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell has reportedly caught the eye of Serie A clubs Juventus and Napoli. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid are reportedly interested in Manchester United midfielder Casemiro, with Los Blancos considering making an attempt to bring the Brazilian back to Bernabeu in January. 21 November 2024 talksport.com Pep Guardiola deciding to extend his stay at Manchester City could be good news for them in more than one sense. 21 November 2024 talksport.com Cristiano Ronaldo admitted there will be one key challenge to his son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr, becoming a professional footballer. 21 November 2024 talksport.com Caoimhin Kelleher has the opportunity to become Chelsea's starting goalkeeper - he's too good to be Liverpool's back-up. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers could be without up to seven players for Saturday's Premier League clash with Fulham at Craven Cottage. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Marco Silva will be working with almost a fully-fit squad when his Fulham side play host to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday. 21 November 2024 talksport.com Al Ettifaq chiefs admitted they were left in shock when Jordan Henderson told them he wanted to leave just months into joining the Saudi Pro League club. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers will be looking to climb out of the Premier League relegation zone when they travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham on Saturday afternoon. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Valencia will play their first game since the devastating DANA storm struck the region when they welcome Real Betis to Mestalla for Saturday's La Liga contest. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides that were glad to see international football intervene will return from a much-needed break on Saturday, as Aston Villa and Crystal Palace meet at Villa Park. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk St Johnstone host Kilmarnock this weekend at McDiarmid Park, in a clash between two struggling Scottish Premiership sides. 21 November 2024 talksport.com It would take a lot to humiliate Cole Palmer on a football pitch, but he's revealed what would need to happen to do so. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Iago Aspas is once again expected to start, as Celta Vigo continue their 2024-25 La Liga campaign with a contest against division leaders Barcelona on Saturday night. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona are set to again be without the services of a number of important players for Saturday's La Liga clash with Celta Vigo, including Lamine Yamal, with the Spaniard not yet recovering from an ankle problem. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams at opposite ends of the League One table meet on Saturday, as Burton Albion host Stockport County at the Pirelli Stadium. 21 November 2024 talksport.com Cristiano Ronaldo's YouTube video with Mr Beast hit one million views in just 30 minutes. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brighton & Hove Albion, Ipswich Town and Southampton are all reportedly interested in signing Vasco da Gama youngster Rayan. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk La Liga leaders Barcelona will be bidding to bounce back from a surprise defeat before the November international break when they resume their league campaign away to Celta Vigo on Saturday night. 21 November 2024 talksport.com Arsenal need a figure up front like Alexander Isak to replace Kai Havertz. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic, looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the 2024-25 Scottish Premiership season, are set to travel to Tynecastle Park to face relegation-threatened Hearts on Saturday. 21 November 2024 talksport.com Ruben Amorim will take charge of his first game as Manchester United manager this weekend as his side take on Ipswich.
Sat 23 Nov, 14:00
A
Verona Verona
-
sch
Inter Inter
Sat 23 Nov, 20:00
L1
Reims Reims
-
sch
Lyon Lyon