Crawley Town (H)

23 January 2018

Notts County will look to get back to winning ways as they host Crawley Town in Sky Bet League Two.

The Magpies lost their unbeaten home record to Exeter City on Saturday as the Grecians came away from Meadow Lane with a 2-1 victory.

But tonight's match against Harry Kewell's side presents an immediate opportunity for Notts to give themselves some breathing space in second place after the gap to third was closed to two points by Accrington at the weekend.

Crawley saw their three-game winning streak ended at Newport on Friday night and will be determined to bounce back with a win which would propel them into the top half of the Sky Bet League Two table.

The fixture will bring back fond memories for Notts manager Kevin Nolan, who registered the first win of his Meadow Lane tenure against the Sussex side almost a year ago.

Notts boss Kevin Nolan says...

"Harry Kewell has got them playing really well and they are a very good side.

"They play with no fear and I remember being in the office after the game at their place earlier in the season and saying that it would take him time to get them going.

"He has been given that time which is good to see because they were flirting a little bit with relegation but now he is starting to put results together.

"I'm sure they will enjoy playing on this pitch because they knock the ball around."

Crawley Town head coach Harry Kewell says...

"It will be a tough game. They aren't second in the league for no reason. Kevin Nolan knows how to get the best out of his players so it will be a test for us but we are up for it.

"Notts County suffered a defeat at the weekend and will want to bounce back themselves so I can see it being a very entertaining game.

"It's a good pitch and there'll be a great atmosphere there. They have a big game coming up at the weekend so they will want to get back to winning ways to prepare themselves for that."

Team news

Nolan is hoping for good news on defenders Matt Tootle and Richard Duffy, who both missed the Exeter game at the weekend.

Shaun Brisley was taken off during that game as a precaution, potentially opening a spot for Carl Dickinson to come in at the heart of the defence.

For the visitors, midfielder Josh Payne returns from a three-match suspension.

Dangerman

A winger capable of playing on either flank, Enzio Boldewijn came to English football in the summer of 2016 after leaving Dutch second-tier side Almere City, signing a two-year contract with the Red Devils.

The 25-year-old scored six goals in his debut season in Sussex – one of which was against Notts in a 3-1 defeat at the Checkatrade.com Stadium.

He has already matched that tally for this campaign, bagging five goals his past five outings for Harry Kewell’s side, all of which have come in victories, after going four-and-a-half months without finding the back of the net.

His electric pace and trickery make him a threat on the counter-attack and he is one of the first names on the Crawley team-sheet for the former Liverpool wideman.

We've met before...

Notts dominate the head-to-head proceedings having won seven of the 11 meetings between the sides, including the last five matches since both clubs were relegated from League One in 2014-15.

County won the previous meeting earlier this season 1-0 thanks to Jorge Grant's predatory strike and have never lost at home to the Reds.

What are the odds?

Sky Bet have priced Notts up as 8/11 favourites to take all three points, while the Reds are 4/1 to inflict successive home defeats on the Magpies. The draw is 13/5.

A repeat of this season's 1-0 win at the Checkatrade.com Stadium is 5/1 and another 2-1 win for the Magpies is 7/1.

Notts can be backed at 28/1 to register a 4-0 victory or 250/1 to repeat the 5-3 scoreline from when the two sides met in Nottingham in October 2014.

Jorge Grant proved to be the matchwinner when the sides met in September and another 1-0 win thanks to a goal from the midfielder is available at 15/1.

In the goalscoring markets, the loanee is 7/2 to score first, 11/2 to score two or more or 33/1 to register a first career hat-trick.

Notts are 11/4 to win the game with both teams scoring or 7/4 to win the game to-nil.

You can bet on the game here.

Supporters who sign up to Sky Bet using this link can help the club financially.

Match Reports

Notts 1-2 Crawley

23 January 2018

Notts County were beaten 2-1 by Crawley Town at Meadow Lane.

Jon Stead levelled the scores for the Magpies after Jimmy Smith had fired the Sussex side ahead.

But, after Notts saw Matty Virtue and Ross Fitzsimons red-carded in the dying moments, Josh Payne dispatched an injury-time penalty to win his side the points.

Shaun Brisley and Richard Duffy were both deemed fit to play despite being major doubts in the build-up to the match, although the match came too soon for Matt Tootle.

That meant Nicky Hunt continued at right back, while Elliott Hewitt dropped to the bench.

Lewis Alessandra nearly played a big role in giving Notts the lead on five minutes when he saw his shot spilled by Glenn Morris in the Crawley goal. Virtue looked certain to capitalise on the rebound but Josh Lelan made a heroic clearance off the line.

Alessandra was also involved in the game's next big chance, blazing the ball over from close range after Liam Noble had seen his header blocked.

Crawley's first warning shot followed two minutes later, Thomas Verheydt firing the ball narrowly wide from 14 yards, moments before Fitzsimons made a fine save to deny the same player from the edge of the area.

Brisley and Noor Husin both blocked efforts on the line as the visitors' pressure grew.

And it eventually told on 25 minutes when Verheydt's header found Smith in acres of space, allowing the midfielder to fire the ball into the bottom corner.

Virtue went into the book for a foul on Josh Payne before Verheydt's name was taken following a late challenge on Dan Jones.

Noble sailed an ambitious lob off target, Verheydt flicked a header over at the near post and Brisley was booked for dissent before the referee called time on the first half.

Jorge Grant bobbled a shot wide before curling an effort off-target as he looked to haul his side back on level terms early in the second period.

Noble found the wall with a free-kick moments later, before Stead was denied by the Crawley keeper after cutting out a loose pass in the Crawley defence.

It had been a bright start to the second period for the hosts and they got their rewards when Lelan was penalised for handball in the area. Stead duly dispatched the spot-kick to level the scores.

Nolan then made his first change, replacing Noor Husin with Shola Ameobi.

And the Magpies had Fitzsimons to thank for a superb triple save, turning away Boldewijn's curling effort, smothering the rebound from Verheydt and then gathering Smith's shot.

Hewitt then replaced Noble before Ameobi saw a shot deflect wide and Stead struck straight at the keeper.

Stead then did his best to lay the ball on a plate for a team-mate but no-one was on hand to turn his low cross home inside the six-yard box.

Notts could easily have been ahead but had their hearts in their mouths with six minutes to play when Hewitt had to make a crucial intervention to deny a Crawley man a tap-in to take the lead.

But it began to unravel for Notts when Virtue was shown a second yellow card after commiting a foul to halt a quick Crawley break.

And, shortly after four minutes of added time were indicated, matters got worse when Fitzsimons was dismissed for kicking out at an opponent, conceding a penalty in the process.

Branislav Pindroch replaced Stead but was unable to save the subsequent spotkick, which was duly dispatched by Payne.

Duffy had last-minute penalty claims waved away after appearing to be struck with an arm in the area.

And Notts were left to reflect on a second successive home defeat.

Match Reports

Ticket News

Tickets: Crawley Town (H)

22 January 2018

Tickets are now on sale for Notts County's Sky Bet League Two match against Crawley Town on Tuesday 23 January (7.45pm).

Prices are as follows:

Category	Derek Pavis Stand	Air-IT Kop Stand	Haydn Green Family Stand
Adult	£20	£20	£20
60 and over	£14	£14	£14
18-21	£14	£14	£14
Under 18	£7	£7	£7
Under 16	£5	£5	£5
Under 12	£1	£1	£1
Under 7†	Free	Free	Free

Prices for supporters aged 12 and over will rise by £2 on matchday.

†Under 7s' tickets cannot be claimed online.

Season ticket holders: Bring a friend for free!

Season ticket/half-season ticket holders can bring a friend or family member free of charge.

Supporters can exchange their Bring a Friend voucher for a match ticket at the club shop.

Click here for more information.

Families

Download a handy matchday guide and map here.

How to buy

Tickets can be purchased online and printed at home by clicking here. More information on buying tickets online can be found here.

Alternatively, visit the Meadow Lane ticket office or call 0115 955 7210.

Hospitality

Click here to view our range of packages.

To enquire about hospitality for this fixture, please email kirsty.edwards@nottscountyfc.co.uk or call 0115 955 7222.

Notts County Football Club

Standings

Crawley Town (H)

Notts 1-2 Crawley

Tickets: Crawley Town (H)