Preview: Crawley Town v Bristol City

Friday, March 6th 2015

Crawley Town v Bristol City
Checkatrade.com Stadium
Saturday, March 7th, 3pm

Bristol City travel to face Crawley Town on Saturday (3pm kick-off) looking to extend their commanding lead at the top of Sky Bet League One.

All of the key information on City's opponents can be found below:

CRAWLEY TOWN
It has been a difficult season for Crawley, who have been in and around the relegation zone for most of the season. The Red Devils have conceded the most goals in the league (58) and, other than Izale McLeod, have found a regular goalscorer hard to come by. Former City midfielder Marvin Elliott is second in the charts for the club with five goals.

MANAGER
Dean Saunders – Played for 12 clubs including Swansea City, Derby County and Aston Villa over a 19-year career span. He played for Wales on 75 occasions, scoring 22 goals and became assistant manager under John Toshack’s reign in 2007. Crawley is the 50-year-old’s fourth managerial club after spells with Wrexham, Doncaster Rovers and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

STAR MAN
Izale McLeod - Former MK Dons front man who signed for the Red Devils in the summer. He made a big money move (£1.1m) to Charlton Athletic in 2007 after scoring 54 goals in 117 appearances for the Dons. His form flattered to deceive at the Valley resulting in several unsuccessful loan moves before a permanent switch to Barnet, where he scored 32 times in 73 games. McLeod is Crawley’s top goalscorer this season with 14 goals in all competitions.

OFFICIALS
Andy D’Urso will be the man in charge, assisted by Ryan T Atkin and Matt Foley. The fourth official will be Graham Kane.

TICKETS
The match is pay on the day for City fans, with just over 900 having already purchased in advance.

LAST TIME OUT
Bristol City 1-0 Crawley Town – Luke Ayling’s strike three minutes from time kept City top of the table. The visitors frustrated City up until the defender’s decisive finish, with Crawley keeper Lewis Price making several decent saves.

LAST SEASON
League One: 14th
FA Cup: Second round (lost to Bristol Rovers)
Capital One Cup: First round (lost to Cheltenham Town)
Johnstone’s Paint Trophy: Second round (lost to Newport County)

DID YOU KNOW?
New signing Mathias Pogba is the older brother of France and Juventus star Paul. He also has a twin brother (Florentin) who plays in Ligue 1 for AS Saint-Étienne.