Crawley Town lost 3-2 to an injury-time goal against Northampton Town at the Broadfield Stadium tonight.
James Balagizi scored the Reds’ first two league goals of the season as Crawley looked to have earned a well-deserved point before Keiron Bowie’s injury-time winner broke their hearts.
Here are Lloyd Dean’s player ratings from the game.
Offered little going forward but did track back and defend well. Lost quite a few aerial battles but obviously his height could be a factor in that. Worked very hard tonight but just couldn’t make the impression on the game he would have perhaps liked. Photo: CTFC
6. Manny Adebowale 8
Played some fantastic long balls which helped turn defence into attack. Carried the ball out well from the back which really opened the game up and created space for his team mates. Adebowale made some very important tackles and won a lot of aerial duals. Photo: Jamie Evans
7. James Balagizi 8
The Liverpool loanee got MOM and was a constant thorn to Northampton – Balagizi scored a brace and often made some brilliant direct runs at the heart of the Northampton defence. He also made some good through balls through to the strikers. Balagizi advanced forward every time he was on the ball and overall had a fantastic game. Photo: Cory Pickford
8. Jake Hessenthaler 6
Hessenthaler had a poor first half but grew into the game slightly in the second half, especially after moving to right wing back. He won quite a few free kicks in dangerous and advanced positions. That being said he didn’t really make a print on the game. Photo: Cory Pickford