As a football club, Crawley Town have been in existence for over 100 years, having been formed in 1896. As a senior professional side though, they've taken a little longer to establish themselves, with the first sixty years of their existence being spent in the West Sussex League, Mid-Sussex League and Sussex County League. Even then their progress was slow, moving into the Metropolitan League in 1956. They moved into the Southern League structure in 1963, having turned semi-professional a year before that, but spent all bar one of the next 22 years in Southern League Division One.

That one season was 1969-70 in which they managed to briefly rub shoulders with Yeovil Town, as both clubs occupied the Southern League Premier Division. One season it turned out to be as the Sussex Red Devils were relegated, and it was only in 1984 that they managed to rise back above that level again. Between 1984 and 2004, they managed to successfully hold that position, picking up a number of County level pieces of silverware along the way. They also took on Yeovil Town in the FA Cup during the 2002-03 season, but fell at the Fourth Qualifying Round stage as goals from Mickey Spencer and Paul Batty put the Glovers on their way to a club-saving cup run that saw them play Arsenal just over two months later. That FA Cup tie was at their old Town Mead ground, which they occupied for 48 years, moving to their current Broadfield Stadium in 1997.

Crawley's rise to Conference National level missed the Glovers by one season, with them heading winning the Southern League title by twelve points in 2003-04. It's at this stage that their story began to take on some controversy. And by some, we mean lots. Brothers Chas and Azwar Majeed bought the club in July 2005 - having previously had the footballing experience of running bars, nightclubs, hairdressers and off-licenses. Crawley turned full time and began to splash the cash, despite their fairly modest gates - that expenditure saw them deducted three points by the Conference for breaking league rules. They were to go on to suffer points deductions in four consecutive seasons for a mix of financial irregularities and fielding an ineligible player.

By June 2006, they'd collapsed into administration with debts of nearly £1.4m. This was Crawley's second period in administration, having suffered the same fate back in 1999. The fear was that the Majeeds would take over the club again - it had been disclosed that Chas Majeed had an undischarged bankruptcy hanging over his head, whilst his brother had convictions for common assault and perverting the course of justice, and was later convicted in 2009 for cheating the public revenue to the tune of £769,493.41, although it should be stressed that these offences related to the Majeed's own non-footballing commitments.

With Crawley now under new ownership, and trying to rebuild their reputation from the Majeed's regime, their decision to appoint Steve Evans as their manager in May 2007 was a little surprising given that he had been found guilty of tax fraud in the previous year, for offences relating to his previous club Boston United. Thankfully Evans didn't repeat that episode at the Broadfield Stadium, but that, coupled with Crawley's high spending, including another HMRC-instigated winding-up order in February 2010, continuing revelations about the Majeeds, and the obligatory touchline bans (particularly one 12 game ban during the 2008-09 season) made for the Sussex club to not be the most popular in non-league football by any stretch of the imagination.

The level of this dislike, mainly channelled at Evans, could be seen when Crawley's admittably impressive 2010-11 FA Cup run saw them reach a Fifth Round tie against Manchester United. Normally the more famous Red Devils would be the team people love to hate, but if the likes of Twitter was anything to go by, there weren't too many neutrals backing the underdog that day! That said, if you're a Crawley fan, you'd happily tolerate a man who gives your team success and silverware. Later that same season, they won promotion to the Football League, and although Evans jumped ship for Rotherham United in April 2012, they later won a double promotion to take them up to League One.

First team coach Craig Brewster was the man who got Crawley up to that level, but the Crawley board decided to look elsewhere, appointing Sean O'Driscoll as first team manager over the summer of 2012. That seemed a sensible move, given that O'Driscoll is about as un-Evans-like as it is possible to get. Unfortunately for them, O'Driscoll had arrived from Nottingham Forest where he'd been a first team coach and when they offered him the manager's job, he did a u-turn, leaving Crawley without managing them for a single competitive game. Brewster was given the caretaker reins again, eventually yielding to former Bury boss Richie Barker. Not the best of preparation for their first season at third tier level, but Barker has got off to a flyer at the Broadfield Stadium. To rise from Conference to Championship would be a fairly ludicrous aspiration, but with a third of the season gone, there they are occupying a play-off slot. And with the Majeed and Evans types now hopefully behind them, they might start to get a bit more respect from the footballing world for what they are achieving at present.

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RECENT RESULTS

06/04/2013	Milton Keynes Dons	Away	NPL1	D	0-0	7746
09/04/2013	Sheffield United	Away	NPL1	W	2-0	18680		Clarke 77, Hayes 84
13/04/2013	Coventry City	Home	NPL1	W	2-0	3900		Clarke 15, Essam 60
20/04/2013	Oldham Athletic	Away	NPL1	L	1-2	4794		Connolly 77
23/04/2013	Preston North End	Home	NPL1	W	1-0	3026		Jones 6
27/04/2013	Hartlepool United	Home	NPL1	D	2-2	4100		Proctor 70, 89

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

CLUB GOALSCORERS

Name	LGE	FAC	FAT	LGC	CC	Total
Billy Clarke	10	2	0	2	0	14
Nicky Adams	7	2	0	1	0	10
Jamie Proctor	7	0	0	0	0	7
Josh Simpson	4	1	0	1	0	6
Hope Akpan	4	0	0	2	0	6
Gary Alexander	4	1	0	0	0	5
Nick Ajose	2	0	0	1	0	3
Joe Walsh	2	0	0	1	0	3
Matthew Sparrow	3	0	0	0	0	3
Kyle McFadzean	3	0	0	0	0	3
Jonathan Forte	3	0	0	0	0	3
Paul Hayes	2	0	0	0	0	2
Mark Connolly	2	0	0	0	0	2
Mat Sadler	2	0	0	0	0	2
Mike Jones	1	0	0	0	0	1
Nathan Byrne	1	0	0	0	0	1
Scott Neilson	0	0	0	1	0	1
Dannie Bulman	1	0	0	0	0	1
Connor Essam	1	0	0	0	0	1

ATTENDANCE STATISTICS

Highest League Attendance: 5050, vs Portsmouth, 09/09/2012
Lowest League Attendance: 2544, vs Crewe Alexandra, 26/03/2013
Average League Attendance: 3408

CURRENT LEAGUE SEQUENCE STATISTICS

Games Without A Win:	1		Games Without A Home Win:	1
Games Without An Away Win:	1		Games Without Defeat:	2
Games Without A Home Defeat:	7		Games Without An Away Defeat:	0
Games Without A Draw:	0		Games Without A Score Draw:	0
Games Without A No-Score Draw:	5		Games Without Scoring:	0
Games Without Conceding:	0		Home Results Sequence:	DWDWWD
Away Results Sequence:	DDLDWL		Overall Results Sequence:	DWWLWD

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Parking

As you enter the stadium complex, turn left for the stadium car park, which costs £2. Otherwise street parking.

After the end of the game it can take quite a while to exit the stadium car park (no different to Huish Park we suspect). So if you are looking for a quick getaway after the game, then it may be an idea to find street parking instead.

By Rail

Broadfield is just over a mile from Crawley Station, which is served by trains out of London Victoria, all calling at Clapham Junction. Bus No.10 every 10 mins from town centre goes past the ground and takes around five minutes. Check the National Rail Enquiries site for details of services.

By Bus

The No.10 bus travels past the ground from the town centre. The Bus Station is more or less opposite the main entrance to the Railway Station, across a dual-carriageway.

By Taxi

There is a taxi rank outside Crawley station. A selection of Crawley taxi companies can be found here.

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Club Bar :

Redz Bar opens from 12 noon for Saturday matches and at 5.30p.m. for evening games. The Crawley Town Official Web Site says the following:

“We offer a wide range of beers and hot and cold snacks and a friendly environment, whoever you support! Redz Bar welcomes supporters from visiting clubs.”

Reports from other club’s supporters suggest that if you’re an ale fan, they only sell real ale in bottles. Others have mentioned that the bar is relatively small and gets packed in the run up to kick-off, making it hard to get served.

Local Pubs :

Jubilee Oak: Local Wetherspoon outlet situated on the high street in the town centre. As with The White Hart and The Brewery Shades convenient for those coming in via rail or other public transport. As usual with their chain pubs, expect a broad food menu, relatively cheap prices and generally a reasonable standard of real ales. Usual Wetherspoon pros and cons apply. Jubilee Oak, 6 Grand Parade, High Street, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 1BU. Tel: 01293-565335. Map: Click Here.

The Brewery Shades: On previous visits the ‘Shades’ has always had a decent selection of five different ales, including at least one from top local brewery Dark Star. Food is served all day and ranges from bar snacks to full three course meals with decent portion sizes. If you are drinking in the town centre make this your first stop, even if you have to walk past a few other pubs to get to it. The Brewery Shades, 85 High Street, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 1BA. Tel: 01293-279085. Map: Click Here.

The Half Moon: The away supporters’ pub of choice, which is not always the best recommendation in our opinion. A maximum of five minutes’ walk from the ground, reports suggest this is your archetypal ‘sports’ bar with lots of TVs, pool and darts. Real ale is offered, but expect Bombardier and Courage Best, rather than any interesting beers from local breweries. Basic bar food is available. The Half Moon, Brighton Road, Southgate, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 6SZ. Tel: 01293-530068. Map: Click Here.

The Swan: The 2012 North Sussex CAMRA pub of the year, this is by far and away the best pub in Crawley. A little rough around the edges perhaps, but the quality and range of ales is always superb. The only drawbacks are that you have to walk the opposite direction from the ground to get there and there’s no hot food that we’re aware of. The Swan, 1 Horsham Road, West Green, Crawley, West Sussex, RH11 7AY. Tel: 01293-527447. Map: Click Here.

The White Hart: A tied house to Harveys of Lewes, so you can expect some decent beer. That’s about all it has going for it though. We’d describe this pub as ‘tired’ and not a patch on some other Harveys pubs we’ve visited. On the High Street close to the railway and bus stations, so included for that reason. Reports suggest that food is served. The White Hart, 65 High Street, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 1BQ. Tel: 01293-520033. Map: Click Here.

Likelihood the Natives Will Understand You :

High. There’s a strange mix of half-cockneys, Gatwick workers, immigrants and inbred Sussex folk, but you should be able to make yourself understood!

Top-Tip :

If arriving by train or bus or driving through the town-centre, resist the temptation to think you’ve walked through a time-portal into the 1970s.

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[No responsibilty is taken for any inaccuracies. This page is entirely the product of bias and prejudice. What were you expecting in a guide that references Steve Evans?]

[With grateful thanks to Will Ranner for providing a lot of the 'local' knowledge concerning pubs, directions, parking and local transport!]

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