With the season less than a month from its climax, there is still some valuable points for teams to play for, and one of those fixtures where both teams have something hanging in the balance is in West Sussex, as Crawley Town welcome Tranmere Rovers.
Crawley are in a fight for their lives, with off-field issues marring their season as they now occupy the final relegation place, joined in the dreaded drop zone by Rochdale. After a good run until late March which catapulted them to a realistic possibility of safety, they’ve dropped off again, allowing John Askey’s Hartlepool United to clamber above them, and after Monday’s long journey up to Barrow to see the Reds succumb to a 4-0 drubbing, you wonder where the good fortunes will finally fall in their favour.
Their opponents, Tranmere, have finally found lift-off under Ian Dawes and have the slightest of chances of scraping into the Top seven this season, although highly unlikely, but with pride the most realistic thing to play for, they will hope to go out of a nevertheless disappointing campaign on a high.
After their last league win in late February - against Crawley at Prenton Park - a managerial change has took place and now, after a 1-0 victory over Swindon Town, they finally earned their first maximum under the tenure of Dawes, so now they will look to build on it as they visit Sussex on Saturday.
Team news
Crawley
Crawley have had many problems with injuries over recent weeks and one, Caleb Chukwuemeka, has been out for a long time but after recently being introduced to the squad and playing a few minutes, he was replaced before half-time in the Reds’ clash with Barrow on Monday. Whether it was to rest him or it was a re-occurrence of his injury remains to be seen.
Joel Lynch has also been missing from the last few Crawley matchday squads, so an absence from the Welshmen on Saturday wouldn’t be a surprise.
Recently, the club also announced that Jordon Mutch and Ludwig Francillette would be ruled out until the end of the season with their respective injuries.
Tranmere
After many brilliant weeks in net for Tranmere, Joe Murphy’s injury meant he was replaced by the Pole Mateusz Hewelt on Friday, and even if he returns, the performance of Hewelt in between the sticks against Harrogate recently may mean that he will be subject to a spot on the bench.
The absences of Paul Lewis and Brad Walker, which came one after another, are both expected to last for a long period.
Kieron Morris hasn’t been seen in action since he was hauled off in mid February with injury against Bradford City. Morris, an ever-present in the Tranmere side, is an unknown quantity, with his return to the Tranmere squad unidentified.
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Likely lineups
Crawley
Addai; Johnson, Ogungbo, Ransom, Mason; Roles, Powell, Khaleel; Fellows, Telford, Nadesan.
Tranmere
Hewelt; Cogley, Davies, Turnbull, Bristow; Hughes, Merrie, Hendry, Hawkes; Saunders, Hemmings.
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Players to watch
Dom Telford (Crawley)
A Football League veteran, Telford has always shown goal-scoring prowess at this level, and he’s proved to be Crawley’s biggest threat in front of goal this season.
On the back of 25 goals last season for Newport County, Telford joined Town in the summer of 2022 and has notched up nine goals in 38 appearances, however none in his recent few displays as his form has dried up and his cameos briefer than usual.
He needs to get back to scoring ways soon, and Saturday presents him with a great chance to do so, albeit against a recently astute Tranmere backline.
Josh Hawkes (Tranmere)
Despite the goals drying up of late, Hawkes is a player who can spark a game into life with his tricky footwork and an eye for goal, which has seen him as Tranmere’s leading scorer.
Hawkes has netted eight times throughout the season for Rovers, matching Kane Hemmings’ goal return, three of which have came since the turn of the year.
A replica of his form which has branded him as a dangerous player and the struggling Reds will have to be at their best to keep him quiet.
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Match details
Where is the game being played?
The game will take place at the People’s Pensions Stadium, Crawley, West Sussex.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off is at 15:00 BST on Saturday, April 15.
How can I watch?
The game is not on live TV in the United Kingdom.
You can follow along to the match through both teams social media and respective BBC's channel's
You can purchase a match pass or listen to the game via either club website, paying as little as £2.50 for commentary.
