After Shrewsbury collected a vital point against Bolton Wanderers last Saturday, they came into this game versus Crawley, with momentum under their belts. This momentum helped them massively, as they beat Crawley 5-3 – scoring four goals in fifteen minutes. Here are five key talking points from the encounter.
- Guest Post from Back of the Net’s Will Grant
Proactiveness of Ronan Darcy
Ronan Darcy started the game brilliantly, as he was effective at showing the ball in deep areas, giving the central defenders an option to pass too. After Darcy accessed the ball from deep, he looked to distribute the ball quickly – increasing the ball speed of Crawley’s possession play. Darcy also displayed sublime movement in the attacking third, drifting into central areas from the left – causing an overload for Shrewsbury to contain.
After Ronan Darcy arrived in the attacking areas, he frequently tried his luck from outside the box, with Darcy going for goal at least three times in twenty minutes. He managed to generate power and movement with his shots, making the goalkeeper unsettled.
His vibrant cameo didn’t transpire into the second half, as Darcy was substituted relatively early in the second half.
The threat of Rushian Hepburn-Murphy
Crawley started the game with Rushian Hepburn-Murphy operating in a flexible central attacking role, just behind the striker. The athletic forward joined Crawley in the summer transfer window, scoring two goals since his arrival.
His contribution helped the team look like a positive threat in attack, as his agileness enabled him to repeatedly turn away from his marker sharply. This was showcased for Crawley’s first and second goal, as Hepburn-Murphy spun away from his man, giving himself more space to penetrate the attacking third. His acceleration was also recognisable for their first two goals, with the Shrewsbury players failing to contain his physical qualities.
Similarly to Ronan Darcy, Hepburn-Murphy was substituted during the second half, which affected Crawley massively, as they lacked ball carriers to stop Shrewsbury’s direct onslaught.
Brilliant Benning
Malvind (Mal) Benning has been a consistent performer for Shrewsbury over the last eighteen months, with this consistency translating into this season. Benning has accumulated three assists for the Shrews so far, which is severely impressive as he starts the majority of games at left-back. According to FotMob , Benning created the most chances out of anyone against Crawley – underlining his importance to Shrewsbury.
Most of those opportunities Benning created were from set pieces, as his in-swinging corners were causing the home side multiple problems, allowing Shrewsbury back into the game. Benning’s consistency in landing the ball in a dangerous area was remarkable, which put Crawley under significant pressure throughout.
Shrewsbury’s dominance in Crawley’s box
The main explanation for the outcome of this game was settled in Crawley’s penalty box, as the home side were weak and brittle aerially, which subsequently played into Shrewsbury’s advantage. This was epitomised for at least two of Shrewsbury’s goals as Crawley failed to clear their lines, escalating to the Shropshire outfit towering over the home side’s defenders – increasing their lead comfortably.
Shrewsbury was very effective at keeping the ball alive in the box, with Crawley having to deal with continuous pressure. The away side piled numbers in the penalty area, capitalising on the man advantage intelligently. However, it was Shrewsbury’s physicality that added to their aerial strength, with Crawley lacking those dominant profiles on their side.
Josh Flint’s red card
Crawley were easily the best side before the red card, as they were the protagonists in the game, leaving Shrewsbury vulnerable defensively. Josh Flint played a massive role in establishing Crawley’s control in possession, as he was successful at bringing the ball out of defence – unlike his fellow central defenders.
Although Josh Flint’s two yellow cards could be perceived as harsh, his fouls gave the referee a decision to make, which ultimately contributed to Crawley’s defeat. With Flint’s absence, Crawley conceded four.
Not only did Crawley miss a physical presence at the back, but the substitutions to cover his sending-off was poor as Crawley replaced two of their most influential players during the game, eliminating the prior attacking threat.
Conclusion
Overall, Crawley delivered a positive performance up to their second goal, with fluent passing patterns being demonstrated across all thirds of the pitch. Despite Rob Elliot getting his team playing attractively already, his in-game management has to be questioned during this game, with his substitutions denting the team’s momentum.
From a Shrewsbury perspective, they capitalised on Crawley’s set piece and aerial weakness – constantly putting direct balls into the box. Their power and sharpness in the attacking third earned them a second win of the season. A special shoutout to John Marquis who scored a brace, and contributed with an assist.
