- 09/07/2025
Matt Pole is joined by Brighton writer Derren Howard, Sam Morton, who covers both Albion and the Reds, and Crawley Town expert Mark Dunford.
Transfer silly season is in full swing, and both Brighton & Hove Albion and Crawley Town have been very active in the market
This week, we’ll discuss two high profile Albion signings, what Joao Pedro had to say about his training ground fracas with Jan Paul van Hecke, and we’ll bring you all the latest from Crawley Town - who have been put through their paces in sweltering Spain.
Transfer silly season is in full swing, and both Brighton & Hove Albion and Crawley Town have been very active in the market
This week, we’ll discuss two high profile Albion signings, what Joao Pedro had to say about his training ground fracas with Jan Paul van Hecke, and we’ll bring you all the latest from Crawley Town - who have been put through their paces in sweltering Spain.
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00:00Welcome to another episode of the Goal Math Action Podcast, where we take a look at all the latest goings-on at Brighton and Hove Albion and Crawley Town.
00:07I'm Matt Poul, and this week I'm joined by Brighton writer Derren Howard, Sam Morgan, who covers both Albion and the Reds, and Crawley Town expert Mark Dunford.
00:16Transfer Silly Seas is in full swing, and both Brighton and Hove Albion and Crawley Town have been very active in the market.
00:22This week we'll discuss two Hove profile Albion signings.
00:25What João Pedro had to say about his training ground for a car with Jean-Paul Van Heck, and we'll bring you all the latest from Crawley Town, who have been put through their paces in sweltering Spain.
00:35You can read all the stories we are talking about in videos and pictures online at sussexworld.co.uk forward slash sport.
00:41And João Pedro is no longer an Albion player, to the surprise of few, I think.
00:45The Brazil striker completed his £60m move to Chelsea from Brighton last week, and was immediately named on the bench for Friday's Cobb World Cup course final win over Palmyra in Philadelphia.
00:56Yeah, no great surprises, Derren. We spoke at length about it last episode, didn't we?
01:00But how has the move been viewed by Albion supporters?
01:05Yeah, it was one I think pretty much everybody saw coming.
01:08It was just waiting for the confirmation of the move to Chelsea, and that finally came through.
01:14And I think most Albion fans were, you know, quite happy with the fee that they received for him.
01:19He did pretty well for Brighton, and his career at Chelsea has got off to, you know, a really good start.
01:26He played for them yesterday in the semi-final of the Club World Cup, and he scored twice on his first start for Chelsea.
01:36So it couldn't have gone any better for him, really.
01:38Chelsea, you know, Chelsea are guaranteed sort of £80m for reaching the club final, so that pays for Pedro and, you know, and some.
01:48So, yeah, I think he could go well at Chelsea.
01:53I said previously that, you know, I thought Pedro, he did well at Brighton.
01:57He had two seasons at Brighton, scored around 30 goals, I think, in 70 appearances.
02:01But I always felt there was more from him, you know, you always felt that there was another level that he could get to.
02:08And he perhaps didn't quite do that at the Amex.
02:10He did well at Brighton, but I always thought that there was probably a bit more that he could have done.
02:16And hopefully he'll go on and do that at Chelsea, because he is a great player.
02:21And, you know, he has the potential to, he's only 23, so he still has the potential to improve a lot more.
02:28And I think the hope is, is that he can do that at Chelsea and then become a regular striker for the Brazil national team as well.
02:36So, yeah, I think a good move for him.
02:39And as far as Brighton are concerned, they're quite well covered in that area.
02:43The hope is, is that Jorginho Ruter, who did very well last season for Brighton, he can help fill that void with Pedro.
02:52He can perhaps add more goals to his game as well.
02:55He has the physicality that Persella likes.
02:57And he combined well with Danny Welbeck as well last season.
03:02So if Welbeck's fit and firing and Jorginho Ruter's playing, you know, as well as he can and perhaps a bit better than last season,
03:09then I think Brighton are covered and they have the two new Greek editions of Stephanas Tissimas and Shara Lampos Costoulas as well,
03:17who have joined for a, you know, combined fee of 50 million.
03:20So Brighton, you know, they've got experience cover and they've also got some youth, younger players coming through that are going to push the likes of Ruter and Welbeck.
03:31And what happens to Evan Ferguson, we'll just have to wait and see.
03:34I saw he's been linked with Roma this morning as well.
03:37So there's one to keep an eye on, but he could be, Ferguson could be moving on this summer.
03:43But at the moment, it's all a little bit uncertain.
03:47But yeah, but as far as Pedro goes, I think everyone's quite happy with the deal.
03:52It worked out well for all.
03:54Yeah, and it's safe to say that Pedro's buying career ended under a bit of a cloud.
03:57He received a three-game ban off being sent off at Brentford in April and then was then dropped to the last two matches of the Premier League season,
04:04following a ported training ground bust-up with teammate Jan-Paul van Heek.
04:09Sam, I suspect this is primarily the reason why not too many tears were shed over the Brazilian's departure.
04:15But Pedro himself has recently spoken about that training ground incident with van Heek.
04:19What did he have to say for himself?
04:20Did he give much away?
04:22Yeah, so it was an interesting one, wasn't it?
04:24I mean, he briefly reflected on the final weeks of his Brighton career ahead of Tuesday's Club World Cup semi-final against his former club, Fluminense.
04:31Funny enough, he actually scored two brilliant goals for Chelsea for them to win the game 2-0.
04:36And it's not often you saw kind of goals of that quality.
04:39He's got a lot of penalties and obviously some overplay goals for Brighton too.
04:42He's a quality player, but it was two brilliant goals for Chelsea on Tuesday night.
04:47I think there's some Brighton fans thinking off.
04:48It's a shame he's not doing that for Brighton now.
04:51And it's also a shame about the way his Brighton career ended.
04:54Obviously, he received a free-game ban after being sent off at Brentford in April and was then dropped the last two matches following a reported training ground bust-up with van Heek, as you say.
05:03And asked about the latter incident.
05:05He said, I think the people who know me know my character.
05:08When two players want to win, these things happen.
05:10And this is normal.
05:11I now play for Chelsea, so I just want to talk about Chelsea.
05:14It was just two players in the moment.
05:15We both wanted to win.
05:16So, yeah, it doesn't give too much away.
05:19But obviously, just kind of water under the bridge at this point, I think.
05:23I don't think there's any animosity between the two players.
05:26And obviously, he's got what he wanted in a move to Chelsea.
05:30And judging by the fact he went straight into the first team on Tuesday night, it sounds like he's going to be a real key player for them.
05:36And obviously, we wish him the best and hope he performs well.
05:40But I was just going to say, do you think he'll do a non-celebration against Brighton if he scores against them this season?
05:49He didn't celebrate his first goal against Jimenez, eh?
05:53No.
05:53No.
05:54Mark, you made quite a good point.
05:58What did you say about his celebration?
06:00What did I say?
06:01If you have to apologise for scoring, don't score.
06:03I mean, I just, I don't get it.
06:06I mean, I understand sometimes why people do it.
06:11But when, just, if you love the club so much, don't leave.
06:15Just, oh, I haven't got time for it.
06:18We had an example, was it?
06:19Was it Yankouba Minta?
06:21Sorry?
06:22I was like, Yankouba Minta did the same, didn't he, when he didn't celebrate against Newcastle?
06:26Was that right?
06:27I think he did do something, yeah.
06:29It was a muted celebration, but then he, yeah, that was an unusual one, wasn't it?
06:34He went a bit, yeah, he's, then he got a bit tired.
06:38Yeah, he kind of half, half apologised and then started pointing to the badge.
06:43So, it was a bit like, is he not celebrating?
06:46Is he winding the mark?
06:47It was all a little bit strange.
06:49He got a bit confused there.
06:51I mean, like Minta, because obviously Newcastle had to sell him, didn't they?
06:56Yeah.
06:57He was a PSI and that.
06:58So, it's not like he wanted to leave and then he was apologising kind of thing.
07:03He might have wanted to leave.
07:04I don't know.
07:05So, I can see an argument for that kind of thing.
07:07But when you forced a move, well, I know he wasn't doing it against Brighton.
07:11Pedro, he was doing it against Luminasi as home club.
07:14But, yeah, you're a footballer.
07:16You get paid to score goals.
07:18If I was his manager, I'd be fuming.
07:20Yeah.
07:21Yeah, absolutely.
07:22All very bizarre.
07:23Game's gone, Mark.
07:24Game's gone.
07:24Game's gone, yeah.
07:26I think seeing him against Van Hecker will be interesting at the Amex next season.
07:30I'm quite looking forward to that.
07:31Yes.
07:32There will be a red card that game.
07:35Yeah.
07:36Two elbows.
07:38Well, speaking of Jean-Pedro, he wasn't the only high-profile Brighton player to depart last week.
07:43And I must admit, as a player that I had initially forgot about, Argentina international Valentin Barco has completed a permanent switch to Ligue 1 side to Strasbourg.
07:51Barco, who signed for the Seagulls for around £8 million and a four-and-a-half-year deal from Boca Juniors all the way back in January 2024, was loaned to the French outfit in January, making 15 appearances to help Liam Rossini's side qualify for the Conference League.
08:07The defender departs Bryant, having made just seven appearances for the club.
08:10What did you make of Barco's departure, Darren?
08:14Judging by the reaction on social media, I think most Albion fans are a little bit confused as to why he's been allowed to leave.
08:21Yeah, it is an interesting one.
08:23He arrived, as you say, from Argentina and he was the next South American wonder kid to arrive at Brighton.
08:31And I remember everyone at the club, we were very excited at the time that they managed to, you know, to secure his signature.
08:39He's wanted by Manchester City, among other teams as well.
08:44And he played a few times under Roberto Di Zerbi.
08:48And you could really see his talent, you know, very good left-sided player, crossing the ball well, very, very skilful.
08:56But he's perhaps just a little bit lightweight at the time, and he needed time to adapt to the physicality of the Premier League.
09:05And the rumour around the club was that he was told that he wasn't going to be first choice for Brighton at that time.
09:13Purvis de Stupignan and Mitoma, they had the sort of the left side nailed down.
09:18And apparently that didn't go down too well with Barco and his management team, which my thoughts at the time was, you know, it's perhaps not the best move.
09:27They probably needed to be a bit more patient, you know, with Brighton and let them, you know, they've got a proven record of they know what they're doing when they're, you know, sort of developing these young players.
09:38Even Alexis McAllister, when he first arrived, he was in and out of the team and they needed to be patient.
09:44So that kind of had this little rumour that he's got a bit of an attitude, you know, and so he went out to Seville on loan.
09:53That really didn't go well in La Liga.
09:57That loan was cut short last season and Brighton managed to find him a move to, as you say, Liam Rosinia's Strasbourg.
10:05And they had an obligation to buy if all went well with the loan.
10:11And then, yeah, they triggered that agreement.
10:14He did well at Strasbourg, actually.
10:15He played more as a central midfielder.
10:18They've adapted his position slightly and he still plays on the left every now and then.
10:22But Rosinia had him playing in central midfield and that seemed to work well.
10:27So it is a shame that Brighton never saw him at his best.
10:32He could go on to become a huge, you know, player for Strasbourg and probably move to Chelsea for 100 million or something in the future.
10:41But Brighton got 8 million for him.
10:43I don't know if they've got a sell-on fee.
10:45And they've also added Maxime DiCoupo as well, who joined from Belgium.
10:51So that covers their left side, you know, for the time being.
10:55But, yeah, good luck to Valentin Barco.
10:57I laugh about him joining Chelsea for 100 million, but I think Strasbourg are owned by Chelsea, aren't they?
11:04Correct. Yes.
11:05Yeah, that is one of the pathways which could see him move to Chelsea.
11:12So, yeah, an interesting one.
11:13Yeah, don't rule it out.
11:15But it's not all been outgoings at the Amex.
11:17And Brighton have signed French defender Olivier Boscagli on a free transfer following his departure from PSV Eindhoven.
11:23The 27-year-old, who can play as a left-back or centre-back, has signed a five-year contract with the Seagulls.
11:29Sam, it seems like another typically shrewd move by Albion.
11:32Tell us a little bit more about Boscagli.
11:35Seems to have gone down very, very well, the signing.
11:38And how valuable would his versatility be to Fabian Herzog, do you think?
11:42Yeah, no, absolutely.
11:43It looks like a really good move, this one.
11:45So, the Seagulls were reportedly unsuccessful last year with an £8.5 million bid for PSV Eindhoven defender Oliver Boscagli.
11:53After playing a patient waiting game, they've got their man as the former France Youth International made his move after his contract in the Eredivisie came to an end.
12:02One of the key aspects of a Seagulls defence is having players that are both comfortable in possession and also able to function in a number of roles.
12:10And as such, Boscagli is an ideal signing as he is able to feature centre-back, left-back and in a holding midfield role too.
12:17According to Transfer Mark, 166 of his 204 appearances for PSV came at the heart of the defence, 19 at left-back and the remaining 13 were as a defensive midfielder.
12:26Looking from the stats at who scored, he's identified as being very strong with passing and as a preference for long passing and plays the ball off the ground quite often.
12:37He's also said to be strong in ball interception and has an average match rating of 7.17 out of 10 during the season,
12:42which puts him in the top 15 highest average ratings across the top tier of the Dutch game.
12:48And Dutch football expert Michael Statham spoke on BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast about the player.
12:55And he said he's been such a key player for PSV for six years.
12:58He's such a good signing for Brighton's, it fits the club really well.
13:01He can play long balls, dribbles at times, he's always progressive and forward thinking.
13:06He's wrestling with shots as well and gets in the box with corners.
13:09He's physical and can obviously handle the physicality of the Premier League.
13:15And he said actually he doesn't think the Brighton fans realise how much of a statement this signing is.
13:19And it's obviously it's a free transfer and to be able to get someone of this calibre and quality and for a free,
13:27it seems like a really, really good piece of business.
13:30Absolutely. And as you mentioned, Darren, Brighton also confirmed the signing of Belgian defender Maxime de Kuiper from Club Bruges in a five-year deal.
13:37The 24-year-old made 54 appearances in all competitions last season as Club Bruges reached the Champions League last 16,
13:43where they eventually fell foul of Aston Villa.
13:45It's another defensive reinforcement for Albion, Darren.
13:49What skills does the Belgian possess and how much of a boost will the left back give the back line?
13:55Yeah, it looks a good addition for Brighton.
13:59And he's a Belgium international as well.
14:02So they've gone for a more experienced player.
14:04But we spoke about Valentin Barco and a player that, you know, needs time to develop.
14:09Whereas you'd think that the likes of Boscagli and de Kuiper, they can go straight into the first team and make an impact on Fabian Herzella's squad straight away.
14:20And I think it's a good addition as well.
14:22It's a very skillful player.
14:23He's got a good shot on him as well.
14:26Gets up and down the line.
14:28And Herzella was speaking about the creativity that he brings as well.
14:32So he's a very clever sign.
14:35In his interviews on the club website, he was saying that he just really likes to express himself on the pitch and enjoy himself on the pitch.
14:44So hopefully it'll be another good addition.
14:48And my thoughts as well is that it could pave the way for Pervis Estupinian to perhaps leave this summer as well.
14:54There was a lot of talk that he wants to, I think how he put it, wants to grow and go to a big club and new surroundings, as Estupinian was saying to South American media last month.
15:08So I think with de Kuiper coming in, that could sort of smooth the way for Estupinian to depart.
15:16But we'll see on that.
15:18There's been nothing confirmed.
15:20It's just that he has said that he's keen on a move this summer.
15:26And have Brighton have sort of shown in the past when players express a wish to leave, they don't tend to keep them there.
15:33So, yeah, but a good addition.
15:36So one in, one out probably in that position.
15:40I'm loathe to extend the Brighton chat because we obviously want to talk about the world of town.
15:46But what will it take for Brighton to become a big club?
15:48Yeah, it's a good question.
15:54Probably massive investment from Saudi Arabia or from the Middle East or somewhere.
16:00But it is that, isn't it?
16:04Now, how do Brighton, how they are, how do they break into that top six?
16:10How can they take that next step forward?
16:13Keeping their best players would be, you know, one where you look at players that they've sold.
16:20Four of the Chelsea players in that Club World Cup semi-final were from Brighton.
16:25But having said that, those transfer fees have allowed Brighton to reinvest, reinvest, keep the club in a strong...
16:32To become sustainable, haven't they?
16:33...to become sustainable.
16:35So it's, it's so difficult for Brighton to, when you look at the money that, you know, the likes of Newcastle have behind them,
16:42Aston Villa, Manchester, you know, you know, this, and how Brighton make that next step, I really don't know.
16:48But I think if they are competing at the top half of the Premier League, for now, I think that's, that's great.
16:54I suppose that comes with the double-edged sword of being seen as kind of a stepping stone, I guess, Darren.
16:59It'll be good, bringing good players that have benefited their career, but inevitably they'll end up moving on, won't they?
17:05They'll end up moving on.
17:06Yeah, as soon as they hit their peak years, they then, that's, that's been Brighton's model.
17:10And we were speaking to Herzella about that around, just when we spoke to him at the opening of the club megastore.
17:19So, and yeah, he's saying when he arrived, he was fully on board with Brighton's way of doing things, their transfer strategy.
17:26And, and yeah, but it does beg the question though, you're right, Mark, because a lot of the fans are, okay, so we do well financially, we're, we're stable,
17:36we're top half of the Premier League, but I think also when you look at Crystal Palace winning the FA Cup,
17:43there was a little bit of envy going on towards that to say that, you know, would,
17:47would they look back in 10 years time and say, well, we did well, we finished eighth that season, you know,
17:52but they haven't got a cup or they haven't got a silt.
17:54So they, they want to take that next step, but yeah.
17:58Yeah.
17:58Anyway, we better move on to the Sussex's biggest club.
18:02Yeah.
18:03That's a podcast in itself, that question.
18:05Yeah, it is, isn't it?
18:07Yeah.
18:08Well, we're going to give the people what they want now, Mark.
18:11Crawley's hand also, you see, in the transfer market last week, making no less than two signings on Friday.
18:17The first was striker Louis Flower, the former Chelsea and Brighton Hove Albion forward joins the Reds on a one-year deal.
18:23He looks like he's got a good pedigree there, Mark, but considering the calibre of strikers that Lindsay has brought in so far this summer,
18:29are we kind of viewing him as more of one for the future?
18:32I think so.
18:34Yeah.
18:34I think he might be a bit of a squad player, maybe a bit of an impact sub this year.
18:38He did that last night against Free Bridges, came on, scored a goal, looked good.
18:42He played up top Shimanga, Kabby Shimanga played the first half, scored two goals.
18:47He came on second half, scored a goal, put himself about.
18:49He looks like a good player.
18:51I mean, yeah, like you say, he joined from the Chelsea Academy and he signed for Brighton in 2023 and he regularly featured for the Academy there.
19:01He scored in both friendly so far.
19:02He scored against Hearts on Friday and, yes, Free Bridges last night.
19:07But, yeah, just when you look at the forwards, they've got Crawley now because you've got, as I've mentioned, Kabby Shimanga.
19:15You've got Harry McCurdy, Tola Shawanmi and then other attackers, Danny Cashman, Adi Adiemo, Dom Pereira, Harry Forster.
19:24It's quite a – there's a lot of options there.
19:26And I think, yeah, Lindsay's obviously got to use these friendlies to find out what the best combination is.
19:33But I think we'll get more of an indication who is going to be his favourite striker as we get into the Portsmouth and Crystal Palace games.
19:41At the moment, he's doing 45-minute halves.
19:44I think at Dagenham – because they've got East Grinstead on Saturday.
19:48Then they've got Dagenham and Redbridge away next Tuesday.
19:50And I think that he starts using a team for 60 minutes and then some for 30 minutes.
19:57And I think that's when we'll get more of an indication.
20:00But from last night, I think Shimanga looked busier, looked more effective, seemed to have a little bit more energy as well.
20:09And we know how high Scott likes to – his team's depressed and that.
20:13So early indications.
20:15I don't know.
20:16Maybe Shimanga might be the preference.
20:18But, well, we haven't seen McCurdy yet, though.
20:20So it'll be interesting because my instinct tells me McCurdy will be his favoured man up top.
20:27And then it will be for the rest of those three, the left, right and just behind the front man, who will play in those positions.
20:35I know we're going out of order a little bit now, but you've mentioned three Bridges friendly, Mark.
20:40You were there last night.
20:42How was the game?
20:43What did you make of the Reds' performance and who stood out for you against Bridges?
20:46You've named a couple of names there.
20:48Yeah, no, it was a very, very professional performance, very organised.
20:53What impressed me was the intensity and the fitness levels because, obviously, you're only – I know they've had a training camp in Spain.
21:02They've had one sort of – Scott described it as a training game more than a friendly against Hearts.
21:07But, yeah, then last night, they were really good from the off.
21:13I mean, both halves, they were mainly camped in three Bridges' half.
21:18Anthony Papadopoulos played a lot of minutes last night and I was impressed with him.
21:22He was physical.
21:23He was skilful.
21:24I forgot how big he is.
21:25He's quite a big bloke, tall and quite built in that.
21:28And he put himself a bell, but he's got really good footwork.
21:31But the player that stood out for me most was Danny Cashman.
21:35I was really impressed with him.
21:36He was lively, always looking for that killer pass.
21:40There was – there's one video – if you watch our interview with Scott Lindsay on sussexworld.co.uk,
21:48I've overlaid his interview with some of the highlights from the games.
21:51I've got a couple of the goals on there.
21:53But there's one bit where he talks about Danny Cashman.
21:56There was a free ball over and it was sort of reminiscent of that Mitoma goal where it all came over his shoulder.
22:03He took it down, first touch, but the keeper came out quick and the keeper saved this one.
22:08But it was just – there were little flashes of genius from him.
22:11And we know he can do it at National League level.
22:14He's done it, performed really well for Worthing.
22:17But last night, I thought he was really good.
22:18And Scott Lindsay said afterwards that he was – what's impressed him most is his fitness levels, he said,
22:24because you get these players in from non-league and you don't expect them to be up to a certain level of fitness
22:31that he wants you to be in.
22:32He thought it would take longer during pre-season to get him up to that.
22:35But he said his fitness he's been so impressed with.
22:38So I've got a feeling he's going to become a fan favourite very quickly, Danny Cashman.
22:43I mean, it helps that he's from Crawley as well.
22:45So there's always that connection with fans.
22:46But in the second half, Jack Rolls and Harry Forster came on, and it was good to say,
22:51had good moments that we've seen from them before.
22:54But there were two – there were, I think, four or five trialists that came on in the second half,
22:59including goalkeeper.
23:00But there were two that caught my eye, one called Mandela Egbo,
23:05and the other one I'm going to murder his name, Rafael Araije, I think his name is.
23:10He was at Bristol City last year.
23:12He played on the left side of the back three.
23:15But he was so powerful and quick running forward with the ball, so comfortable on the ball.
23:20And Mandela Egbo, I think he was Colchester City – Colchester United, sorry, last year.
23:26He played on the right-hand side.
23:28And a couple of fans said to me, who was that player on the right?
23:31Can you find out?
23:32So I did find out.
23:33And, yeah, Mandela Egbo, and he looked really impressive.
23:35So Scott said he's three or four short of the squad at the moment.
23:40And, I mean, if he got those two in, I think they would be two really impressive signings.
23:44So obviously played at a decent level as well and got experience in the AFL.
23:49So who knows what we might see.
23:51But he won't rush into anything.
23:53He will give them – because certainly Rafael last night, that was his first time Scott had seen him.
23:58They'd only got him in yesterday.
24:00So I imagine he'll play against East Princeton on Saturday and then maybe Dagenham.
24:05And then who knows?
24:06He might be the next player.
24:08But, yeah, no, it was just a really professional performance.
24:10Not to take anything away from Free Bridges.
24:12They were – I don't want to patronise them, but they were sort of plucky and spirited and determined.
24:17And there was a couple of times where they could have – I think they had one or two sort of threats on Crawley's goal.
24:24But, yeah, and Harvey Davis.
24:25It was a shame he never really got tested because he looks like he is a keeper.
24:30On the ball, comfortable.
24:31He looked very, very good.
24:33So I think he could be the real key signing for Crawley this year.
24:37Mark's spoken about Lindsay's views on particular players, Sam.
24:40But how did he view the overall Reds' performance at Free Bridges?
24:44And for those who don't know, who do the Reds meet next in pre-season?
24:48Yeah, so obviously, as Mark's mentioned, in front of an impressive crowd,
24:51Lindsay's men dominated and won 5-0 against a spirited and determined Bridges side.
24:55And after the game, the Reds' boss was full of praise, actually, for their non-league neighbours.
24:59He said they were unbelievable.
25:00It's brilliant here and it was a proper game.
25:02The facilities are amazing.
25:04I love Free Bridges.
25:05I think the people here, the staff, even the people behind the bar are lovely.
25:08Everyone's really, really nice.
25:10We trained here a lot at the end of last season and they were friendly neighbours.
25:12We really respect Free Bridges and they're a great club.
25:15And on the game, he said, I thought they gave us a good game.
25:17I know the scoreline probably wouldn't suggest that, but they did.
25:20There were some moments where they could have hurt us more.
25:22I thought it was a good game of football and we were really respectful to them.
25:24So thank you, Free Bridges.
25:26The friendly is a permanent fixture in the pre-season schedule,
25:28but this is the first time the Reds have played them on the new 3G pitch that they've installed.
25:34So that was an interesting challenge as well.
25:37The Reds trained the venue towards the end of last season,
25:39but this is the first time playing a game on the new pitch.
25:41And then coming up next, as you ask, obviously, it's East Grinstead away on the 12th of July on Saturday.
25:48Dagenham Redbridge away on Tuesday, the 15th.
25:52Portsmouth at home on Saturday, the 19th.
25:55Southampton away in a behind closed doors game on Tuesday, the 22nd of July.
25:59And then finally, Crystal Palace at home on Friday, the 25th.
26:03That's obviously the big one that everyone will be looking forward to,
26:06to seeing at the Broadfield Stadium.
26:08Yes, absolutely.
26:10Going all the way back to last week before we went off on this grand tangent,
26:13Dion Pereira was the second Reds signing announced on Friday.
26:17The 26th-year-old midfielder joins the club following his release from Luton Town.
26:21And I vaguely remember him playing for Sutton against Orsham.
26:23I think he might have scored a couple in that game in the FA Cup.
26:26What did you make of this signing, Sam?
26:29Judging by his age and profile, do you think he'll be starting in Scott Lindsay's midfield next season?
26:33Yes, it's an interesting one.
26:34I'm not sure he'll be a starter with the attacking options that we've already had.
26:38It's obviously going to be very competitive.
26:39But the 26-year-old is regarded as an exciting and skilful winger
26:42with valuable experience gained in both the English leagues and Major League Soccer.
26:47He began his career at Watford, where he was named the club's young player of the season
26:50for the 2016-17 campaign.
26:52That same season, he made his senior debut at just 18 years old,
26:56coming off the bench in an away fixture against Leicester City.
26:59In 2018, Pereira made the move to the MLS signing with Atmante United.
27:03And during his time there, he made 18 appearances for the first team
27:06and five for Atmante United too.
27:09Following his release in early 2020, he returned to England
27:11and joined Luton Town in November, becoming part of the under-21 set-up.
27:15But since then, he's gained further experience with loan spells at Bradford,
27:19twice in League Two and at Sutton United early this season.
27:22And as you mentioned, while we're at Sarsen, he scored twice
27:23in that FA Cup second-round victory over the Hawthorne.
27:27Helping the team secure a third-round tie against a championship side of Plymouth.
27:34Also on the international stage, he represented Antigua and Barbuda.
27:37He made his debut on October 14, 2023, in a 4-1 win over the Bahamas.
27:41And he has since earned four caps and scored his first international goal
27:44in a 3-2 defeat to Puerto Rico in November.
27:48And he obviously made his first appearance against Free Bridges.
27:50And he actually scored the first goal in pretty unique circumstances
27:52as he was laid on the deck following a challenge in the box.
27:56And Shimanga's effort deflected off him and into the net.
27:59And I've been reading Ryan Ed's play ratings from the game, actually.
28:03He did mention there's some room for improvement with his strength on the ball.
28:06I think it sounds like he also missed a big chance inside the box
28:09that he should have converted. But on the positive side,
28:11it's tricky footwork and an assist.
28:13He laid the ball into the path of Shimanga to double the lead.
28:16And obviously, as we mentioned, he scored that unusual goal as well.
28:18So, yeah, room for improvement.
28:20There's also some promising signs.
28:21And I'm sure he'll be an important player for Scott Lindsay's team this season.
28:27Flower and Pereira both announced well Crawley were away in Spain,
28:30as we mentioned at the top of the podcast, on their pre-season training camp.
28:33But that wasn't the only thing that was unveiled during the tour.
28:36Sure. The Reds also revealed their new away kit for the forthcoming 2025-26 campaign.
28:41And for those who haven't seen it, Mark, would you mind describing the new away kit for Crawley Town?
28:46I think it looks quite nice, actually.
28:48And is there any news on the home shirt?
28:50Do you know when that will be announced?
28:52On the home shirt, I believe it's going to be next week.
28:56So, yeah, I'm going to make a bold prediction and say it's going to be red.
29:01But the away kit, I absolutely love the away kit.
29:07It might be up there as possibly my favourite Crawley Town kit that I've known.
29:12And they wore it last night against Three Bridges, and it looks so smart.
29:16It's predominantly white, but the detail on it is great.
29:20It's got red trim around, side panels, collar, with a bit of black in there as well.
29:27But within the white kit, there's vertical text embedded into the fabric in a sort of light grey.
29:34And it says all the 14 neighbourhoods in Crawley, all the way down, very thin stripes.
29:40But it's just a lovely detail.
29:43And the club said it was a heartfelt tribute to the club's community roots.
29:46So, it's made by Eria, again, the Italian sportswear brand.
29:51And it's, yeah, it's just a really crisp white, really smart.
29:54And the sponsor just looks really clean and nice on it as well.
29:57Reef is the new main sponsor.
29:59That's in black on the kit.
30:01And it's just a really, really smart, nice kit.
30:06And, yeah, some of the players look great in it as well.
30:09So, yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing the home kit.
30:11I mean, part of your things is it's just going to be the same with red, but with a little white wording going vertically.
30:17But they might go slightly different.
30:19I understand as well they're going to be bringing out a third kit, which is going to be quite different.
30:25Quite different and quite – and I think there's quite a big change to one feature of it as well.
30:31But I don't know if I'm allowed to go into too much detail.
30:33I don't want to give away too much.
30:34Oh, you tease.
30:35And I cannot wait to see the Crawley fans' reaction because it's – from what it sounds like, they are either going to hate it or they are going to love it or they are just going to make them very, very angry.
30:47So – which we always look forward to.
30:49So –
30:50Yes.
30:50So, we'll find out and, yeah, we'll see what happens with that.
30:55But, yeah, no, really looking forward to seeing the home kit and seeing what they do because that away kit is 10 out of 10 for me.
31:01It is indeed.
31:02I'd echo those statements.
31:03And, yes, finally, Crawley wrapped up their Spanish sojourn, the friendly against Scottish Premiership outfit, Hearts, also on Friday.
31:11How did the Reds get on against Hearts, Sam?
31:12And what sort of team did Lindsay put out against the Edinburgh outfit?
31:15I understand there's not too much information floating around as it was behind closed doors, I think.
31:20Yep.
31:21Yep, absolutely.
31:22We'll start with the teams.
31:23So, it was Davies, Ratcliffe, Barker, two trialists, Anderson, McCurdy, Adeyemo, Brown, Cashman and Flower.
31:30And on the bench, they'd Heater, Flint, Papadopoulos, Pereira, Rolls, Hollerhan, Forster and Shimanga.
31:36And Crawley lost 3-1 against the Scottish Premiership side.
31:39Louis Flower bagged his first Crawley goal in the opening half, but it unfortunately wasn't enough on the day.
31:45But Lindsay, we spoke about the game and he said he was really pleased with how they performed in that game.
31:50Obviously, again, through Bridges and playing against a really good Hearts team out in Spain.
31:54They're probably in front of us in many ways, ability-wise.
31:57They've been training a couple of weeks before because of their season timings and their cup football starts next week.
32:04So, in front of the recording in terms of fitness levels and that kind of thing.
32:06But he thought it was a good game.
32:08And he also said that Danny Cashman was probably the best guy on the pitch in that game as well.
32:12And the Reds were in Spain, obviously, as you mentioned, for a seven-day warm weather training camp.
32:17And it was, by all accounts, a rewarding trip.
32:21And obviously, a mate and Corey could go out there and just enjoy it and build some camaraderie and team spirit
32:25and a bit of team bonding, which is always good.
32:28And, yeah, I think obviously the results just don't matter.
32:30So, they've obviously come away from that and had a good morale-boosting win over three Bridges.
32:35But he'll probably view both games the same, regardless of the score, I would say.
32:40And it's all about building team fitness and all that kind of thing.
32:44He said to me last night, he said he don't think the players enjoyed Spain that much because he worked them so hard.
32:50So, he said they couldn't wait to get back on the plane after the four he put them through.
32:54And it looked very, very hot out there as well.
32:57It did look very hot indeed.
32:59Right, I think we're going to leave it there for them for this week, unless there's anything else anyone wants to mention?
33:04Any other business?
33:06No?
33:06No, nothing from me.
33:07I'll take your silences.
33:08No?
33:09Brilliant.
33:09Well, thank you very much for joining us this week, chaps.
33:11You can catch up with all the latest sports news covering everything we have talked about today.
33:15At sussexworld.co.uk forward slash sport.
33:17And you can watch more excellent videos on latest TV.
33:20Thank you very much for listening and or watching.
33:22And we will see you all next week.
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