# 2015–16 Crawley Town F.C. season

The 2015–16 season will be Crawley Town's 120th season in their history and their first season back in League Two since being relegated from League One the previous season. Along with League Two, the club also competed in the FA Cup, League Cup and League Trophy. The season covers the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016.

## Background and pre-season

The 2014–15 season saw Crawley relegated from League One after three seasons at the level, having finished 22nd. Manager John Gregory left his role at the end of the season, whilst interim manager Dean Saunders, who had managed the club from December 2014 as Gregory was recovering from heart surgery, was appointed as manager of Chesterfield. Crawley instead appointed Mark Yates as manager on a two-year deal.

### Pre-season friendlies

On 5 May 2015, Crawley Town announced a friendly against Brighton & Hove Albion on 22 July 2015. On 6 May 2015, Crawley added a trip to Burgess Hill Town on 15 July 2015 as part of their pre-season schedule. On 12 May 2015, Crawley Town announced a third friendly, they will visit Maidstone United on 25 July 2015. On 27 May 2015, Crawley Town announced another two friendlies against Reading and Nuneaton Town. A day later the club confirmed Fulham will visit on 18 July 2015. On 16 June 2015, Crawley Town announced they will visit Whitehawk during pre-season.
Friendly match details :
| Date | Time | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 15 July 2015 | 19:30 | Burgess Hill Town | Away | 0–4 | Deacon 1', Fenelon 18', McLeod 49', 71' | 863 |
| 18 July 2015 | 15:00 | Fulham | Home | 1–3 | McLeod 18' | 2,215 |
| 22 July 2015 | 19:45 | Brighton & Hove Albion | Home | 0–3 | | 2,200 |
| 27 July 2015 | 19:45 | Reading | Home | 1–0 | Henderson 80' | 1,288 |
| 29 July 2015 | 19:45 | Nuneaton Town | Away | 0–3 | Walton 45' pen., McNerney 47', Harrold 63' | |
| 1 August 2015 | 15:00 | Whitehawk | Away | 2–1 | Edwards 6' | |

## Review
### August

Crawley started the 2015–16 season with a 1–1 away to Oxford United – Gwion Edwards put Crawley ahead with a second-half header before Oxford equalised shortly after. A 2–0 defeat at Peterborough United eliminated Crawley from the League Cup in the first round. Back in the league, Edwards gave Crawley a first-half lead in their first home match, again with a header, before two second-half AFC Wimbledon goals consigned Crawley to a 2–1 defeat.

## Competitions
### League Two
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 18 | Stevenage | 46 | 11 | 15 | 20 | 52 | 67 | −15 | 48 |
| 19 | Yeovil Town | 46 | 11 | 15 | 20 | 43 | 59 | −16 | 48 |
| 20 | Crawley Town | 46 | 13 | 8 | 25 | 45 | 78 | −33 | 47 |
| 21 | Morecambe | 46 | 12 | 10 | 24 | 69 | 91 | −22 | 46 |
| 22 | Newport County | 46 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 43 | 64 | −21 | 43 |

#### Matches

On 17 June 2015, the fixtures for the forthcoming season were announced.
League Two match details :
| Date | Time | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Referee |
| 8 August 2015 | 15:00 | Oxford United | Away | 1–1 | Edwards 56' | 6,349 | Simpson |
| 15 August 2015 | 15:00 | AFC Wimbledon | Home | 1–2 | Edwards 34' | 2,988 | Whitestone |
| 18 August 2015 | 19:45 | Portsmouth | Home | 0–0 | | 4,003 | Graham |
| 22 August 2015 | 15:00 | Cambridge United | Away | 3–0 | Deacon 39', 47', Edwards 87' | 5,459 | Miller |
| 29 August 2015 | 15:00 | Wycombe Wanderers | Home | 0–0 | | 2,466 | Swabey |
| 12 September 2015 | 15:00 | Mansfield Town | Away | 0–4 | | 2,524 | Madley |
| 19 September 2015 | 15:00 | Yeovil Town | Home | 0–1 | | 2,112 | Toner |
| 22 September 2015 | 19:45 | Notts County | Away | 1–4 | Murphy 24' | 3,267 | Sutton |
| 26 September 2015 | 15:00 | Accrington Stanley | Home | 0–3 | | 1,659 | Davies |
| 29 September 2015 | 19:45 | Newport County | Away | 3–0 | Edwards 36', 42', Harrold 61' | 2,137 | Langford |
| 3 October 2015 | 15:00 | Plymouth Argyle | Away | 1–2 | Deacon 85' | 7,173 | Attwell |
| 10 October 2015 | 15:00 | Leyton Orient | Home | 3–2 | Deacon 27', Hancox 36', Walton 45' pen. | 2,575 | Wright |
| 17 October 2015 | 15:00 | Luton Town | Home | 2–1 | Murphy 67', Harrold 81' | 3,335 | Ward |
| 20 October 2015 | 19:45 | Morecambe | Away | 1–3 | Murphy 81' | 1,098 | Handley |
| 24 October 2015 | 15:00 | Hartlepool United | Away | 2–1 | Walton 66' pen., Murphy 76' | 3,262 | Heywood |
| 31 October 2015 | 15:00 | York City | Home | 1–0 | Walton 86' pen. | 1,950 | Breakspear |
| 14 November 2015 | 15:00 | Exeter City | Away | 2–2 | Bradley 28', Rooney 90+2' | 3,664 | Adcock |
| 21 November 2015 | 15:00 | Bristol Rovers | Home | 2–1 | Murphy 9', 10' | 2,612 | Kettle |
| 24 November 2015 | 19:45 | Northampton Town | Home | 1–2 | Walton 61' pen. | 2,325 | Martin |
| 28 November 2015 | 15:00 | Carlisle United | Away | 1–3 | Murphy 34' | 4,641 | Salisbury |
| 12 December 2015 | 15:00 | Dagenham & Redbridge | Home | 3–2 | Harrold 40', Murphy 45', 82' | 1,543 | Malone |
| 19 December 2015 | 15:00 | Barnet | Away | 2–4 | Hancox 76', Smith 79' | 1,888 | Williamson |
| 26 December 2015 | 15:00 | Stevenage | Home | 2–1 | Edwards 68', Deacon 90' | 2,289 | Bull |
| 28 December 2015 | 15:00 | Wycombe Wanderers | Away | 0–2 | | 4,153 | Drysdale |
| 2 January 2016 | 15:00 | Portsmouth | Away | 0–3 | | 16,606 | Whitestone |
| 9 January 2016 | 15:00 | Cambridge United | Home | 1–0 | Harrold 36' | 2,320 | Swabey |
| 16 January 2016 | 15:00 | Notts County | Home | 0–1 | | 2,320 | Stroud |
| 23 January 2016 | 15:00 | Yeovil Town | Away | 1–2 | Barnard 83' | 3,423 | Attwell |
| 30 January 2016 | 15:00 | Mansfield Town | Home | 0–1 | | 1,981 | Horwood |
| 6 February 2016 | 15:00 | Stevenage | Away | 1–0 | Harrold 44' | 2,639 | Ward |
| 13 February 2016 | 15:00 | Accrington Stanley | Away | 1–4 | Edwards 21' | 1,374 | Haines |
| 20 February 2016 | 15:00 | Plymouth Argyle | Home | 1–1 | Fenelon 83' | 3,522 | Bankes |
| 27 February 2016 | 15:00 | Leyton Orient | Away | 0–2 | | 4,610 | Collins |
| 1 March 2016 | 19:45 | Newport County | Home | 2–0 | Boden 36' o.g.,Fenelon 53' | 2,003 | Robinson |
| 5 March 2016 | 15:00 | Morecambe | Home | 1–1 | Harrold 54' | 1,697 | Williamson |
| 12 March 2016 | 15:00 | Luton Town | Away | 1–0 | Harrold 12' | 8,264 | Bull |
| 19 March 2016 | 15:00 | Hartlepool United | Home | 0–0 | | 1,883 | Coote |
| 25 March 2016 | 15:00 | York City | Away | 2–2 | Harrold 5', McAlinden 48' | 2,942 | Gibbes |
| 28 March 2016 | 15:00 | Exeter City | Home | 0–2 | | 2,416 | Haines |
| 2 April 2016 | 15:00 | Bristol Rovers | Away | 0–3 | | 8,250 | Graham |
| 9 April 2016 | 15:00 | Oxford United | Home | 1–5 | McNerney 28' | 3,340 | Kinseley |
| 16 April 2016 | 15:00 | AFC Wimbledon | Away | 0–1 | | 4,356 | Robinson |
| 19 April 2016 | 19:45 | Northampton Town | Away | 1–2 | Edwards 85' | 5,327 | Swabey |
| 23 April 2016 | 15:00 | Carlisle United | Home | 0–1 | | 1,940 | Ward |
| 30 April 2016 | 15:00 | Dagenham & Redbridge | Away | 0–3 | | 1,643 | Brown |
| 7 May 2016 | 15:00 | Barnet | Home | 0–3 | | 2,293 | Coote |

### FA Cup

FA Cup match details :
| Round | Date | Time | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Referee | Ref. |
| First round | 7 November 2015 | 15:00 | Luton Town | Home | 1–2 | Harrold 63' | 1,929 | Kinseley | |

### League Cup

On 16 June 2015, the first round draw was made, Crawley Town were drawn away against Peterborough United.
Football League Cup match details :
| Round | Date | Time | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Referee | Ref. |
| First round | 11 August 2015 | 19:45 | Peterborough United | Away | 0–2 | | 2,500 | Lewis | |

### Football League Trophy

On 5 September 2015, the second round draw was shown live on Soccer AM and drawn by Charlie Austin and Ed Skrein. Crawley are to host Southend United.
Football League Trophy match details :
| Round | Date | Time | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Referee | Ref. |
| Second round | 6 October 2015 | 19:45 | Southend United | Home | 0–3 | | 1,139 | Robinson | |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| 1 July 2015 | DF | Joe McNerney | Woking | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2015 | MF | Simon Walton | Stevenage | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2015 | MF | Luke Rooney | Ebbsfleet United | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2015 | FW | Shamir Fenelon | Brighton & Hove Albion | Free transfer |
| 8 July 2015 | DF | Jon Ashton | Stevenage | Free transfer |
| 27 July 2015 | FW | Lee Barnard | Southend United | Free transfer |
| 27 July 2015 | MF | Roarie Deacon | Stevenage | Free transfer |
| 29 July 2015 | GK | Callum Preston | Birmingham City | Free transfer |
| 7 August 2015 | DF | Bryan van den Bogaert | Royal Antwerp | Free transfer |
| 17 September 2015 | MF | Ross Jenkins | Watford | Free transfer |
| 16 October 2015 | GK | Darryl Flahavan | Unattached | Free transfer |
| 19 February 2016 | MF | Andy Bond | Unattached | Free transfer |
| 26 February 2016 | MF | Lyle Della-Verde | Fleetwood Town | Free transfer |

### Transfers out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee | Ref. |
| 1 July 2015 | MF | Blair Anderson | Basford United | Released | |
| 1 July 2015 | MF | Charles Banya | Maidstone United | Released | [82] [a] |
| 1 July 2015 | FW | John Cofie | Wrexham F.C. | Released | [82] [b] |
| 1 July 2015 | DF | Ryan Dickson | Yeovil Town | Nominal | |
| 1 July 2015 | MF | Marvin Elliott | – | Released | |
| 1 July 2015 | MF | Bradley Issacs | – | Released | |
| 1 July 2015 | GK | Brian Jensen | Mansfield Town | Free transfer | |
| 1 July 2015 | DF | Dean Leacock | Whitehawk F.C. | Released | |
| 1 July 2015 | MF | Emmett O'Connor | – | Released | |
| 1 July 2015 | MF | Ryan Richefond | Loxwood F.C. | Released | |
| 1 July 2015 | MF | Josh Simpson | Plymouth Argyle | Free transfer | |
| 1 July 2015 | DF | Joe Walsh | Milton Keynes Dons | Undisclosed | |
| 1 July 2015 | MF | Kelly Youga | – | Released | |
| 22 August 2015 | FW | Izale McLeod | Notts County | Undisclosed | |
| 29 August 2015 | DF | Bryan van den Bogaert | Whitehawk | Released | |
| 4 January 2016 | MF | Conor Henderson | Grimsby Town | Released | |
| 19 February 2016 | MF | Ross Jenkins | Poli Timișoara | Released | |
| 8 March 2016 | MF | Luke Rooney | Arizona United | Released | |
* ↑ Following Banya's release, he joined Maidstone United in November 2015
* ↑ Following Cofie's release, he later joined Wrexham F.C. in November 2015, on non-contract terms
* ↑ Following Jensen's release on 10 June 2015, he later joined Mansfield Town on 24 June 2015.
* ↑ Following Simpson's release on 10 June 2015, he later joined Plymouth Argyle on 6 July 2015.

### Loans in

| Date from | Position | Name | From | Date until |
| 29 July 2015 | GK | Freddie Woodman | Newcastle United | 2 January 2016 |
| 31 July 2015 | DF | Liam Donnelly | Fulham | 27 August 2015 |
| 20 August 2015 | DF | Christian Scales | Crystal Palace | 2 January 2016 |
| 17 September 2015 | FW | Rhys Murphy | Oldham Athletic | 19 December 2015 |
| 29 September 2015 | DF | Josh Yorwerth | Ipswich Town | End of season |
| 2 October 2015 | DF | Mitch Hancox | Birmingham City | 2 January 2016 |
| 26 November 2015 | DF | Josh Emmanuel | Ipswich Town | 2 January 2016 |
| 9 January 2016 | DF | George Smith | Barnsley | 6 February 2016 |
| 14 January 2016 | MF | Chris Atkinson | Crewe Alexandra | 7 March 2016 |
| 1 February 2016 | GK | Paul Jones | Portsmouth | 23 March 2016 |
| 19 February 2016 | DF | Tom Dallison | Brighton & Hove Albion | 21 March 2016 |
| 26 February 2016 | MF | Frankie Sutherland | Queens Park Rangers | 7 May 2016 |
| 1 March 2016 | DF | Charles Banya | Blackpool | End of season |
| 10 March 2016 | FW | Liam McAlinden | Wolverhampton Wanderers | End of season |
| 23 March 2016 | GK | Jack Rose | West Bromwich Albion | End of season |
* ↑ Donnelly's loan was extended on 28 August 2015, until 2 January 2016.

### Loans out

| Date from | Position | Name | To | Date until | Ref. |
| 29 August 2015 | FW | Shamir Fenelon | Whitehawk | 26 September 2015 | |
| 27 November 2015 | MF | Conor Henderson | Grimsby Town | 30 December 2015 | |