Crawley Town were knocked out of the Jersey Mike's Trophy on Tuesday night, losing 2-1 to Brentford's under-21 side at Broadfield Stadium. A double from Domeiro Bobb-Semple proved decisive before a late Connor Wickham penalty provided a consolation for the Reds. The result from Tuesday 10 November leaves the club with a record of one win, one draw and three losses in its last five matches, having lost its last two games.
The defeat ends Crawley's interest in the competition at the group stage. Manager Scott Lindsey made ten changes to the side that lost in the FA Cup to Wimborne Town just two days earlier, handing starts to the likes of goalkeeper Vito Mannone and defender Aden Flint. That previous cup loss was a 2-0 defeat at Wimborne Town on Sunday 8 November.
Brentford's young side took control in the first half. Bobb-Semple opened the scoring after 27 minutes and doubled the visitors' lead six minutes into the second period, with Gustavo Nunes providing the assist. Crawley, who struggled to create clear chances, pulled a goal back in stoppage time when substitute Connor Wickham converted from the penalty spot.
The loss is the latest in a challenging spell for the club, who sit 24th in League Two with nine points from 12 games, having recorded just two wins and three draws all season. They have scored 13 goals but conceded 21, leaving them with a goal difference of minus eight and a significant 22 points behind the league leaders, Salford City. Their recent form shows just one win in the last five matches across all competitions, a sequence that includes consecutive defeats. This poor run includes a 2-3 home loss to Shrewsbury on 20 October, a 1-1 draw with Tranmere on 24 October, a 1-0 win at Oldham on 31 October, and a 2-1 loss at Salford City on Saturday 17 October.
Attention now turns fully to the league campaign and a key trip to face Rotherham United this Saturday. Rotherham are 22nd in the table, setting up a significant early-season encounter near the foot of the division. The match takes place on Saturday 14 November. Fans can view the full upcoming fixtures schedule on the club's site.
Crawley's lineup against Brentford U21s was: Mannone; Flint, Heneghan, Watson (Krasniqi 52); Ebiowei, Ferizaj (Wickham 74), Tinsdale, Benarous (Robertson 85), Mrisho; Aderoju, Adeyemo. Unused substitutes included Corey Izquierdo, Luca Di Biase and Derrick Kotey.
The original report is at Brentford FC
