A former Liverpool, Aston Villa and Brighton star has revealed Crawley Town gave him a managerial moment he’ll never forget.
Ex-Wales forward Dean Saunders was appointed interim Reds manager until the end of the 2014-15 campaign after incumbent John Gregory stepped down from his duties to undergo a heart operation.
Saunders was unable to prevent Crawley from dropping back into League Two after three seasons at that level and left the Reds in May 2015.
The Welshman revealed he had some ‘great memories’ from his time in West Sussex - but one game in particular stuck out for all the wrong reasons.
Dean Saunders (centre) has revealed Crawley Town gave him a managerial moment he’ll never forget. Picture by Joe and James RigbyDean Saunders (centre) has revealed Crawley Town gave him a managerial moment he’ll never forget. Picture by Joe and James Rigby
Dean Saunders (centre) has revealed Crawley Town gave him a managerial moment he’ll never forget. Picture by Joe and James Rigby
Speaking to CasinoReviews.net, Saunders said: “I have some great memories from my time at Crawley.
“We were struggling a little bit at the time, and we won nine games, which I was really proud of.
“The team was playing some better football, and Crawley gave a managerial moment I’ll never forget.
“We were playing Peterborough away near the end of the season, and I’d given the players instructions to get to the byline and pull the ball back into the box to score goals against them. Which is exactly what they did.
“We were 3-2 up with five minutes to go, and all three goals were from pullbacks in what was a vital game. Then Michael Bostwick scored the most unbelievable goal, took the ball on his chest 25 yards out and volleyed it in off the post.
“We lost 4-3 to a last-gasp goal. It broke my heart, that could’ve changed the course of our season, and we got relegated.”
The Reds endured a tumultuous 2024-25 League One campaign, which saw them miss out on safety by just a point.
Crawley were relegated before the last day, which saw Scott Lindsey leave, then return.
But the Reds finished the campaign on a high, winning their last two home games against Exeter and Northampton, before beating fellow relegated side Shrewsbury on the final day.
And Saunders said he hoped the Reds could use their fine end-of-season form to ‘bounce straight back next year’.
He added: “When I was managing, I always thought Crawley was doing really well with the resources and facilities they had.
“The same is still true today, despite their relegation this season, and I hope they can bounce straight back next year.
“It’s a club I still enjoy watching and keeping up with.”
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