Well done Crawley Town?

The history of the FA Cup is littered with romance and extraordinary endeavour……little clubs taking on the ‘giants’ of the day, memorable goals and record crowds.

Although it is somewhat sad to note that perhaps the current crop of ‘big clubs’ give only a passing interest to the early rounds of the Cup. Fulham’s demolition of Tottenham had as much to do with the forthcoming Champions League fixture between Spurs and AC Milan as the directness of their own play.

But then Tottenham Hotspur hasn’t always been a club big enough to take over the Olympic Stadium and then plan to knock it down……mind you I wouldn’t criticise them for their ‘stadium bid’. The proposals that will lead to the cleaning up of the ‘legacy mess’ created by the vanity of the last Labour government and the distorted phantasm of sporting life that floats around in Sebastian Coe's head, might be opportunistic but they do make business sense……

No, we shouldn’t forget that Tottenham lifted the FA Cup for the first time in 1901 when still entertaining the crowds in the Southern League.

But the days when the ‘good old amateur’ could match the professionalism of the Football League are long gone. In fact since the FA Cup was re-organised in 1925 only six non-League sides have reached the fifth round – Colchester United, Yeovil Town, Blyth Spartans, Telford United, Kidderminster Harriers and now Crawley Town.

So, why don’t I feel like celebrating Crawley Town’s excellent victory at Torquay? A victory that follows on from dumping both Swindon Town and Derby County out of the competition.

I guess the fact that I can feel no love for Crawley Town, when they are favourites to follow in the Shots footsteps and achieve promotion to the Football League, does appear to be somewhat harsh. Or is it?

The Sussex club have twice suffered points deductions for breaking rules and going into administration. In fact in 2006 they were an hour from going out of business before a new owner saved them……ok, so they have had a few financial scrapes. But who hasn’t.

And with the availability of ‘new money’ Crawley Town are now described by the ‘envious many’ as the Manchester City of non-League football - with the cash then, perhaps just a touch of vulgarity.

But Crawley pulled off their greatest ‘coup’ in 2007, when Steve Evans was appointed manager.

Now this is a man who is widely disliked for his confrontational style of management…..so it was hardly surprising when his ‘boys’ upset the Torquay groundsman before the start of Saturday’s encounter – naughty!

Steve certainly has ‘form’, being the man who took Boston United into the Football League but was subsequently suspended for 20 months for impeding an investigation into player’s contract irregularities.

Then he was just a tad unlucky when a conviction for Tax fraud led to a 12 month suspended jail sentence…..


Yes, a convicted criminal and part of a scam that took a club from ‘nowhere’ to the Football League.

Boston’s winning of the Conference in 2002 followed a neck and neck race with Dagenham & Redbridge – after a hard fought campaign Evans took his club into the Football League on the slim margin of goal difference.

But not all was as it seemed and the FA launched an investigation into the financial affairs at Boston United. In July of that year, the club was found guilty by an FA disciplinary committee of systematically lodging false contracts for players. The ploy was a simple one. Players signed contracts that were worth a fraction of the value of what they were being paid.

The club was fined £100,000 and docked four points for the following season, a decision that quite rightly enraged Dagenham & Redbridge, who had missed out so narrowly on promotion, to Evans’ club.

And then poor old Steve was found guilty by the FA of having ”facilitated a payment of £8,000 to a witness to attempt to mislead, impede and frustrate” - the FA’s enquiry into the scam.

Evans was fined £8,000 and suspended from football for twenty months…….

But the FA ban was the least of Evans’ concerns as a criminal investigation was launched into the goings-on at Boston…..

Boston United were relegated from the Football League in 2007 after a last day of the season defeat at Wrexham.....and then demoted straight into the Blue Square North in June of that year. Relegation to the Northern Premier League followed a year later……

Delayed retribution for Dagenham and Redbridge. – Conference Champions 2007.

Evans resigned his position as Boston’s manager in May 2007, shortly before the inevitable relegation from the Football League. But surprise surprise Evans landed on his feet and two days after his resignation, he took up the managerial position at Blue Square Premier club Crawley Town.

I know, I should trust in the rehabilitation of offenders……but I just don’t like the man.

Crawley Town will no doubt enjoy their 90 minutes of fame and fortune at Old Trafford in the 5th round of the cup, but will it all end in tears……

If it does, the Sussex County League awaits and no doubt Pagham FC will look forward to the visit!