I guess the fact that I can feel no love for Crawley Town, despite an excellent start to their first League season, 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 away from going out of business before a new owner saved them.
Ok, so they have had a few financial scrapes. But in these troubled times, who hasn’t.
And with the availability of ‘new money’ Crawley Town were described last season, by the ‘envious many’, as the Manchester City of non-League football - with all the cash then, perhaps just a touch of vulgarity.
But my uncharitable feelings towards Crawley are not as a result of their financial fortunes……no, it was the appointment of Steve Evans to the position of manager in 2007 that caused me to draw breath.
Stephen (Steve) Evans wasn’t a great footballer and a knee ligament injury ended his playing career at the age of just 24 after 168 appearances for Clyde, Albion Rovers, Ayr United, Hamilton Academicals and St Johnstone.
His managerial career started at Stamford in 1994 where he led the club to the United Counties Premier Division title and promotion to the Southern League.
At this point I have to state my admiration for his obvious ability to ‘get the best’ out of his players.
But after my momentary lapse into idolatry back to reality and his confrontational style of management. His uncontrollable touchline antics eventually saw the FA ban the feisty Glaswegian for 12 games (reduced from 20) at the start of the 2008-09 season.
Indeed one ref who knew him from his Stamford days said: "We dreaded his matches. He would barge into the ref's room and dish out abuse. He was a nightmare." 
And Evans certainly has plenty of ‘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 everything was as it seemed and the FA launched an investigation into the financial affairs at Boston United. In July of that year, the club were 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……
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 Crawley Town.
I know, I should support the rehabilitation of offenders……but I just don’t like the man.
See you on Saturday Steve……
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