PREVIEW: Crawley away

In a season of long trips this one is a whopper, with the Blues heading south and then south again as they make their way to Crawley at the weekend.

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You have to go back to September 2012 to find the last time Crawley beat Carlisle - that was a 2-0 reverse up here at Brunton Park.

Some 15 meetings between the sides have been and gone since then, with United having won nine and drawn six of those encounters.

Summer had the usual raft on ins and outs at the People's Pension Stadium with reality TV star Mark Wright the first casualty as he was released at the end of last season. 

Eastleigh midfielder Jack Payne was first through the door, with Millwall defender Harry Ransom hot on his heels.

Burton left-back Owen Gallacher arrived to kick-start a busy July, and keeper Blondy Nna Noukeu penned a loan deal from Stoke to keep things ticking over. 

Another loan came from Southampton - full-back Will Ferry - and defender Ludwig Francillette put pen-to-paper when he was released by Newcastle.

Ghana international Kwesi Appiah joined midway through August, with QPR midfielder Amrit Bansal-McNulty completing the set when he agreed a loan move on deadline day.

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  Carlisle wins Draws Crawley wins
League 10 6 2
Total 10 6 2

It's been a tough start for the Red Devils with just a 2-1 home win against Salford in August to brighten an otherwise rocky spell.

Currently in the lower reaches of the division, they'll be looking to rectify that quickly.

And having twice shipped six goals in games - once against Charlton in the Papa John's and the other against Forest Green in the league - that's another area where John Yems will be demanding immediate improvement from his charges.

Reports suggest that last weekend's defeat at Bristol Rovers was a close call, with keeper James Belshaw the hero for the Pirates as he pulled off some excellent saves to deny the visitors the point they felt was the least they deserved.

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Midfielder Jake Hessenthaler has made over 50 appearances for Crawley and has become a steady performer.

He's notched three goals so far this season and has a knack of being in the right place at the right time when it comes to making things happen in midfield.

Energetic and lively, he's our one to watch this weekend.

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Click HERE to purchase an audio match pass which will allow you to listen to this game via our streaming iFollow service.

With match commentary provided by BBC Radio Cumbria, this is a fantastic way to follow your team through the season.

Match audio passes are available for ALL EFL league games - click HERE to find out more about this season’s iFollow United service.

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March 2021 brought Crawley to Brunton Park once again and they were put to the sword by goals from Joe Riley and Omari Patrick.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

United's trip to Crawley in November 2020 proved to be productive as a goal just before the break from Rhys Bennett provided a springboard. Josh Kayode and Aaron Hayden made it 3-0, and a bad day became worse for the Red Devils when David Sesay received late marching orders.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

These sides came together down in Crawley just before the lockdown, in February 2020. It was a tight, tense 0-0 draw, with both teams missing chances to snatch it.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

Priot to that the Red Devils headed to Brunton Park for the opening game of the 2019/20 season. Harry McKirdy opened the scoring with just six minutes on the clock, but the Reds were back on terms just 10 minutes later when Beryly Lubala pounced. The lead was restored just before half time by Stefan Scougall, and that's how it stayed with the hosts holding on to take the three points. A feisty encounter saw Luke Young sent off in time added on.

Watch the highlights from that game here: 

Carlisle United 4 – 2 Crawley Town, 27 April 2019

Crawley Town 2 – 3 Carlisle United, 22 December 2018

Carlisle United 2 – 2 Crawley Town, 17 March 2018

Crawley Town 0 – 1 Carlisle United, 30 September 2017

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Referee - Tom Reeves
Assistant Referee 1 - Samuel Ogles
Assistant Referee 2 - Stuart Butler
Fourth Official - Scott Williams
Observer - David Phillips

Our referee for this fixture is Tom Reeves. Newly promoted to the EFL this term, this is the first time he's been the man in the middle for a Carlisle United fixture.

He's taken charge of four games so far this season showing 15 yellow cards and two reds.

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Prices:

  Seating Terracing
Adult £20 £16
Senior 65+ £15 £12
Under 21 £13 £11
Under 18 £10 £10
Under 16  £4 £4
Under 11 FOC FOC

For wheelchair tickets please contact Crawley Town FC directly on 01293 410 000.

Dates of sale:

Date Time
Thu 9 Sep 10am - 4pm

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Methods of purchase:

In person – come to the main ticket office in the Pioneer Stand at the designated time.
 
Phone – ring the ticket office on 0330 094 5930 at the designated times and pay with a credit / debit card.
 
Internet – click HERE and follow the online instructions. 
 
Read Time: 5 mins