Crawley Town have had a strong start to life back in League One so far, but with the window soon to close it appears as though Scott Lindsey remains in the hunt for more players.
Following their play-off final triumph against Crewe Alexandra last season, the club have enjoyed a 100% record in all competitions so far this season.
However, could the addition of a Championship playmaker be the key to ensuring that Crawley Town aren’t involved in a relegation battle in League One this season?
Stokes is on Crawley’s radar
According to a report via Bristol Live, Crawley Town are one of several League One clubs that have enquired about the possibility of signing Bristol City playmaker Josh Stokes on loan for the 2024/25 campaign.
Bristol City boss Liam Manning is yet to sanction a loan exit for Stokes, but should the decision be made that he can go – there is a strong list of League One suiters for the talented playmaker.
The Championship side have recently clinched the signing of Burnley’s Scott Twine on a permanent deal, pushing Stokes further down the pecking order at Ashton Gate.
Speaking to Bristol Live in terms of the balance within his attacking options, Manning stated…
“It’s happened so quickly with Twiney, the knock-on effect is we need to see what it looks like in terms of what’s next.
“We have to make sure we get the balance right of having competition and depth but, at the same point, not being too heavy in terms of numbers.”
How did he fare last season?
Stokes was playing football for eighth-tier side AFC Sudbury until last summer when he was snapped up by National League side Aldershot Town.
He scored a goal on his debut against newly promoted Oxford City and went on to make 48 competitive appearances for Aldershot Town last season, scoring 18 goals and providing three additional assists.
This led to a £250,000 switch to Bristol City in January, before returning to the Shots for the remainder of the 2023/24 campaign as the club narrowly missed out on a place in the play-off places.
Whether he is allowed to depart or not remains to be seen, but if he is allowed to leave – he won’t be short of options.
