Aldershot head into their game with Crawley this afternoon in a rich run of form, but they may well come back to Earth with a bump when they face the rich men of League Two.
The ‘shots made it through to the fourth round of the Carling Cup for the first time in their history when they defeated Rochdale 2-1at home in midweek, with ex-Rushden and Diamonds man Michael Rankine amongst the goals. That victory has made it six wins from eight for Aldershot in all competitions, a run that includes two draws. The hosts have not lost since a 2-0 defeat at Morecambe over a month ago, a defeat that followed consecutive home reverses against Torquay and Northampton (both 1-0).
Defeat at home was avoided against the other newly promoted side, AFC Wimbledon, only thanks to a 95th minute leveller however, and the 2-0 win at strugglers Hereford has been Aldershot’s only win by more than the odd goal. That, of course, will not worry manager Dean Holdsworth too much if his side keep winning, but Crawley could be their stiffest league test of the season.
As for Steve Evans’ Sussex side, adapting to life in League Two has been slightly more bumpy than many expected. After three wins from four to kick start their campaign (including conceding a 90th minute leveller at Port Vale on the opening day), Crawley hit the rocks with a 3-1 defeat at Cheltenham. Since then, they defeated Bristol Rovers 4-1 at home, before being demolished 6-0 at Morecambe. A 3-0 home defeat against Swindon did little to restore confidence, but a much better second half display saw Crawley overturn a 1-0 home deficit against Bradford last Saturday, en route to a 3-1 win. Doubters will point to the fact that Crawley have lost four in a row on the road, and only won one of six encounters away from home this season (a solid enough 3-1 win at Torquay), but those facts do include defeats at Crystal Palace (Carling Cup) and Southend (JPT) to bolster their appearance.
With Steve Evans beginning to make changes during the week – John Dempster being loaned out to K*ttering - the Crawley players will be well aware that there can be no passengers if they want to stay with the club, and ultimately their recent run should turn out to be a minor blip in form. That makes the 7/5 available on a win this afternoon very appealing and a price that should not be turned down.
Suggestion:
Crawley WIN 1pt @ 7/5 (Stan James and Ladbrokes)
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