Crawley head to sold-out Wimborne live on TNT Sports, still bottom but with games in hand
Wednesday 4 November 2026 · By Leonard Learoyd
Crawley Town travel to Wimborne Town in the FA Cup first round on Sunday at 3pm, in a tie that will be shown live on TNT Sports. Wimborne have said the game is sold out.
Interim manager Kevin Blackwell’s side go into the tie on the back of a 1–0 win at Oldham Athletic last Saturday, only their second league win of the season. Danilo Orsi scored on 52 minutes, bundling in after Charlie Barker’s shot came down off the crossbar, the Sussex Express reported. Oldham had two players sent off in the first half.
Those red cards were in the news again this week. Oldham appealed against both, and an independent panel upheld the decisions, so Kai Payne and Kane Drummond will be suspended for Oldham’s next three matches.
Blackwell was pleased with the way his team managed the game at Boundary Park. “I only get three points if we win 1–0 or 20–0 – we’ve got three points on the bus, say no more,” he said. On Orsi’s goal, he added: “Orsi’s in the right place at the right time, and that’s what you pay a striker for.”
Crawley are bottom of League Two on nine points from 12 games, with two wins, three draws and seven defeats and a goal difference of minus eight. They are three points behind Rotherham United and Colchester United, who are 22nd and 23rd on 12 points. Crawley have played one game fewer than Colchester and two fewer than Rotherham. BBC form for their last six league games reads loss, draw, loss, loss, draw, win.
The only League Two game this week, Oldham’s 1–0 win at Northampton Town on Tuesday, moved Oldham up to 18th, six points clear of Crawley.
Crawley still do not have a permanent head coach. Blackwell took over on an interim basis after Colin Kazim-Richards left the club on 21 October. The BBC reported that his spell could last “a week or 10 weeks”. No permanent appointment has been announced.
After Wimborne, Crawley host Brentford Under-21s in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday 10 November at 7:30pm. Their next league game is listed as a trip to Rotherham on Saturday 14 November at 3pm. With both clubs near the bottom, it is a big game. Crawley are then listed to host Fleetwood Town on Saturday 21 November and Barnet on Tuesday 24 November at 7:45pm. A rearranged game at Walsall is listed for Tuesday 15 December at 7:45pm.
We have not seen any new team news from the club this week.
Blackwell has taken four points from his two league games in charge, after a 1–1 draw with Tranmere Rovers and the win at Oldham. The FA Cup trip to Wimborne gives his side a chance to keep that improvement going, in front of a live TV audience and a full house.
A win would put Crawley into Monday’s second-round draw. In the league, the games in hand give them a chance to close the gap to the clubs above them, and the trip to Rotherham could be an important step.
Broadfield Stadium is a compact, purpose-built ground on Winfield Way (RH11 9RX), just off the A23 at the southern edge of Crawley. Opened in 1997 after the club left Town Mead, it holds 6,134 and remains one of the smaller Football League venues. For visiting supporters that compactness is the point: you are close to the pitch, the walk from the away turnstiles is short, and the atmosphere is usually good-natured rather than hostile.
Away fans are housed in the covered North Stand terrace behind the northern goal, with extra seated tickets often sold in the northern slice of the East Stand. The terrace can be split depending on numbers, so a small following may only get the north-west corner while a large one takes the whole end. Both areas are covered. The South Stand opposite is the home terrace and tends to hold Crawley’s most vocal support. Along the sides, the West Stand is the raised main stand — offices, shop, changing rooms, dugouts and hospitality — and runs only about two-thirds of the pitch. The East Stand, added in 2012, is a full-length seated stand used mainly by home fans and families, plus that away seated pocket at the north end.
By car, leave the M23 at Junction 11 (Pease Pottage), follow signs for the stadium and you are there in a couple of minutes. On-site parking for visiting supporters is limited; coaches drop at the north end near the Away Fan Zone. Street parking exists on Brighton Road and nearby residential streets, but arrive early on bigger games. Crawley station is a little over a mile away: turn left from the station, left again onto Brighton Road and walk south, using the underpass to cross the A23. Allow 20–25 minutes on foot.
The Away Fan Zone sits next to the north turnstiles and is open before kick-off and at half-time, with hot food, soft drinks and alcohol when the licence allows. Inside, expect the usual pies, burgers, hot dogs and tea bars. Toilets are basic but close to the away end. Turnstiles typically open about an hour before kick-off (sometimes earlier for bigger fixtures). Tickets are best bought in advance through your own club; matchday sales, when available, are often card only. Prices vary by competition, but standing in the North Stand is usually a couple of pounds cheaper than an East Stand seat.
Views from the North terrace are decent if you get reasonably high; the roof is low, which helps the noise but can feel tight when the allocation is full. Pillars in the East Stand can spoil a few seats, so if you have a choice of numbered seats check before you pick. The pitch is grass. A digital scoreboard sits on the North Stand, so away fans looking the other way rely on phones or the PA.
Crawley is not a city-centre ground. The nearest pubs with a mixed or away-friendly reputation are closer to the station and town — The Railway on Brighton Road is a common mention — rather than immediately outside the gates. Many travelling fans now use the official Away Fan Zone instead of walking into town. Stewards are generally straightforward; segregation is clear but the ground is small enough that you will hear the home end throughout.
Practical notes: kiosks are largely card-based, so do not rely on cash. Blue-badge parking is limited and should be booked via the club. Disabled away spaces are few, so contact the ticket office well ahead. Bags may be searched. The club shop is on the West Stand side, which visiting fans usually cannot reach once inside the away section, so buy merchandise before you go through the turnstiles if you want it.
Broadfield will not dazzle you with architecture, but it is easy to reach from the motorway, simple to navigate, and close enough to the pitch that a decent away following can be heard. Get there early, use the north-end facilities, and you will have a straightforward League day out in West Sussex.