Crawley Town manager Colin Kazim-Richards says the return of three injured summer signings has given him a welcome selection headache ahead of Saturday's League Two match against Chesterfield. Stephen Duke-McKenna, Kai Jennings, and Vito Mannone are all back in contention after spells on the sidelines.
Kazim-Richards told reporters that having Duke-McKenna available again is a particular boost. "It's nice to have him back," the manager said. "Even if you take away his goals, just his set pieces, it's frightening, it's on the money, especially at this level." The 26-year-old midfielder, signed from Harrogate in June, had been out since suffering an injury in the season's first league game on 15 August. He marked his return with two goals as a substitute in Tuesday's 4-0 EFL Trophy win over Bromley.
That convincing victory, which also featured a start for returning goalkeeper Vito Mannone, has given the squad a lift. Crawley currently sit 24th in League Two with just four points from seven games, so any positive momentum is valuable. The 38-year-old former Arsenal keeper, who was forced off on the opening day, played the full match against Bromley. Twenty-year-old loanee Kai Jennings, who started that game, is also back after being unavailable since his debut on 22 August.
Kazim-Richards said the availability of the trio changes the dynamic in training and his planning for the weekend. "Having Vito come back, having Kai come back, having people gel, having a whole squad that's able to now fight in training and push themselves and try and grab that shirt, it's top to have it back," he explained. The manager admitted the performance against Bromley may have altered his initial plans for the Chesterfield game, suggesting there could be "a few little changes."
Crawley will host eighth-placed Chesterfield this Saturday looking to build on their midweek result and climb off the bottom of the table. The full squad list is available on the club's squad page.
