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Preview: Swindon Town vs. Crawley Town - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 6 May 2023, 21:10
Swindon Town take on Crawley Town at the County Ground in the final game of the League Two season on Monday afternoon.

The hosts are 10th in the table, unable to finish higher, while the visitors will commence proceedings in 22nd place, technically able to finish as high as 20th.

Match preview

Swindon will be disappointed with their 2022-23 campaign, having failed to threaten at the top end of the table, trailing the top seven by a total of 17 points, with one game left to spare.

The club's hierarchy made the decision to sack Jody Morris earlier this month, given the Robins' disappointing campaign, with a 2-1 defeat against Crewe Alexandra the final straw for the manager.

Over the last 10 games, Swindon have picked up just eight points, the fifth-worst record in the entire division, so it is no real surprise the board made the decision to sack Morris, and a new management team has been put in place for the remaining game.

Gavin Gunning and Steve Mildenhall have been placed in charge on an interim basis, and the duo are tasked with turning around very poor form, with their side winning just two of their last 13 League Two matches.

However, Crawley have also failed to live up to expectations this season, with safety from relegation only being confirmed last weekend, courtesy of a 0-0 draw at home against Walsall.

In fairness, the Red Devils have started to perform at the business end of the season, winning two and drawing two of their last four matches to preserve their League Two status, with Hartlepool United dropping to the National League instead.

After leaving Swindon earlier this season, Scott Lindsey has been in charge at the Broadfield Stadium since January, and he has successfully steered his side to safety, with some much-improved performances on display since March.

In the last 15 games, Crawley have picked up 20 points, four more than the Robins have managed to amass during that time period, which indicates the game could be a closely-contested encounter.

That said, the vast majority of those points have been collected on home soil, with the Red Devils picking up just 12 points on their travels throughout the entire campaign, the worst record of any side in League Two, which does not bode well.

Swindon Town League Two form:

L

D

W

W

L

L

Crawley Town League Two form:

D

L

W

D

W

D

Team News

With Luke Jephcott now without a goal in his last two games, Charlie Austin may be brought back in at striker for Swindon on Monday, being supported by Jacob Wakeling and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy from either wing, in a 4-3-3 system.

Ronan Darcy could come back into the midfield, having replaced George McEachran as a substitute at the weekend, while 19-year-old Dylan Kadji may also be given an opportunity to impress, replacing Jake Cain in the engine room.

As for Crawley, striker Remi Oteh will miss out through a hamstring injury, while Dominic Telford has also been out due to injury, so Ashley Nadesan may have to lead the line on his own, with Lindsey making a slight tweak to the formation, potentially playing 4-2-3-1.

Dion Conroy and Ben Gladwin have been playing through injury, and now that they are safe from the threat of relegation, Rafiq Khaleel and Mazeed Ogungbo could come into the side.

Swindon Town possible starting lineup:

Brynn; Hutton, Minturn, Clayton, Lavinier; Darcy, Khan, Cain; Wakeling, Austin, Hepburn-Murphy

Crawley Town possible starting lineup:

Addai; Johnson, Ransom, Ogungbo, Tsaroulla; Tilley, Powell, Khaleel, Grant, Roles; Nadesan

We say: Swindon Town 1-0 Crawley Town

Swindon have been far too inconsistent to mount a push for the playoffs this season, but they should still have enough about them to beat 22nd-placed Crawley at the County Ground, and sign off for the season on a positive note.

The Red Devils have been very poor away from home all season, and with safety now a mathematical certainty, they have little to play for on Monday.

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