Crawley Town boss full of praise for Carlisle United manager ahead of League Two season opener

Betsy worked with Simpson at England Youth level when the two were coaching the next generation of Three Lions. On Saturday, the two will face off at Brunton Park in a highly anticipated match for Crawley.

“Carlisle is managed by a fantastic human being in Paul Simpson,’ said Betsy. ‘I know him really well. He’s an outstanding manager, very well organised defensively but has a real attacking threat too.

“It’s no surprise Carlisle appointed him again,” said Betsy on Simpson, who signed a three-year deal with the club in April this year. “He’s already been promoted with them before (2004-05) and is nothing but a good fit.

“We’ll do ill best to pull something on him Saturday though. We haven’t won their (Brunton Park) in 40 years so we’ll be trying to put that to bed.”

During this new era for Crawley, their new owners WAGMI United have backed their appointment of Kevin Betsy with ten new signings.

“The squad we’ve assembled so far makes team selection really difficult,” said Betsy. “We’ve worked really hard behind the scenes with our recruitment with a lot of analytical work.

“We want competition. There are players in this squad that need competition. They have to mindful that other players are just behind them.

“With injuries and suspensions, throughout this season we want two challenging players in each position. That next player needs to be ready to step up and fits the standard of the first team.”

The array players already brought in by Crawley this summer, have a combined average age of just 22.

“Hopefully we’ve got a real good blend of experience and youth for this season. We’re really excited to see how they’ll play; see how they’ll gel and most of all their quality.

“The window doesn’t shut until the end of August,” said Betsy. “Players will be leaving us, and we’re extremely grateful to them. But players will be joining as well because that’s the evolution of a football club. We’re thankful for the past and looking forward to the future.”

Last season, Crawley finished 12th in League after earning 61 points in 46 games. With 19 losses and a goal difference of negative ten in 2021/22, Red’s fans will see this Saturday’s fixture as a clear sign of whether things have really changed under Betsy.

“It’s a new era now,” said the former Arsenal youth academy manager. “But we can talk about what we’re doing off the pitch all we like, producing in games is what matters.

“There’s going to be ups and downs this season, but we need to stick together through the bad times and good. We can’t get too ahead of ourselves; we know our plan and that’s all we can do.”

Betsy has come into Crawley with a new playstyle. As appose to the traditional direct approach played by many League Two sides, the Reds will now focus their attention on keeping the ball.

“It takes time,” said Betsy. “If they’ve been doing things a certain way for a long time, that can form an ingrained habit. But all the players have adjusted and progressed really well. We want to see that quality on Saturday and then take it into the rest of the season.”

A long trip up to Carlisle now awaits Betsy’s squad. After a successful pre-season, his side know they won’t be alone to face the Cumbrians.

“We remember those that came to Hearts away,” said Betsy, on Crawley’s dedicated fanbase. “Our supporters follow this club through sun, sleet and snow. Without them the club is nothing.

“We’ll do our best to cover every blade of grass and put in a performance we can be proud of for the fans.”