AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth re-enter the Emirates FA Cup with their delayed fourth round tie against Crawley Town on Tuesday night, looking to make the fifth round for just the fifth time in the club's history.
The tie had originally been scheduled to be played on Saturday but was put back due to a Covid outbreak in the Crawley squad.
The situation has meant that the Red Devils haven't played in over a fortnight, their last game coming in their cup shock when they beat Leeds United 3-0 at the Broadfield Stadium.
Led by former Cherries football operations manager John Yems, Crawley currently sit 12th in the League Two table, but with games in hand could move into the play-offs positions if they're able to win their extra fixtures.
Such a scenario seems more than plausible, Yems' side not having lost since a 2-1 defeat at home to Grimsby Town on 24th November and arriving at Vitality Stadium with a ten-game unbeaten run to protect, six matches of which have been wins.
The winners of Tuesday's fixture already know that they will face a trip to Premier League Burnley in the fifth round, Sean Dyche's Clarets booking their place in the last 16 with a 3-0 win at Fulham over the weekend.
Ahead of Tuesday's match, afcb.co.uk caught up with Coren Blackburn, trainee journalist at the Crawley Observer, to find out the latest from West Sussex.
CRAWLEY TOWN IN PROFILE
Manager: John Yems (December 2019)
Club captain: George Francomb
Last game: Crawley Town 3-0 Leeds United (Emirates FA Cup)
Leading league goalscorer 2020/21: Max Watters (now at Cardiff City, 16 goals in all comps)
League position: 12th, League Two
Past six league results: DWDWWW
afcb.co.uk: What's the current situation at Crawley after the recent unfortunate circumstances surrounding Covid?
CB: With Covid we still don't know the full story, there were matches postponed but in terms of players and staff we don't know exactly who's got Covid.
It's obviously been a disruption to training and preparation for this match so we'll have to wait and see the team they're able to put out on Tuesday.
afcb.co.uk: Are there any early pointers on what the team might look like against the Cherries?
CB: I think they'll put out the strongest team they can, like they did against Leeds.
We might see Nick Tsaroulla play again, he did really well against Leeds and took his chance well. You could see him start but other than that I imagine we'll see a full strength side again.
afcb.co.uk: What was the key to Crawley's cup upset in the last round against Leeds?
CB: I think it was the whole team putting in a good performance, the defence was really solid and every time the side went forwards they looked threatening.
John Yems got it spot on with his tactics, he went with a 4-4-2 and it was so hard for Leeds to break them down. Then in the second half Crawley started to dominate them.
It was a surprise, but watching Crawley this season there have been times when they've completely blown teams away. We've got used to seeing that and against Leeds they were able to do that again and it shows the quality that Crawley have got.
afcb.co.uk: How has the campaign been going on the whole for the side in 2020/21?
CB: It's been a really good season so far and there's been a lot of progress. The away form's improved massively and the signings have worked, Max Watters came in and has already gone on to Cardiff now.
The performances and results have been really good and I think the fans now believe that the team can get into the play-offs at the end of the season.
The ambition at the start of the year might have been a top-half finish. With the Covid situation it's really difficult for teams and Crawley's budget isn't high, so they are overachieving but now at the halfway mark fans are looking towards the play-offs.
afcb.co.uk: There's the Bournemouth connection with John Yems, how has he been getting on in charge of the side?
CB: The fans really like him, he's playing good football and getting the best out of all his players. He's made some great signings this season in Watters, Tom Nichols, Tony Craig, Tsaroulla, the manager's done really well with every aspect at Crawley.
He's straight talking, doesn't mince his words and doesn't like losing. I think the fans actually appreciate that from him, he doesn't try and cover up his emotions in interviews.
afcb.co.uk: Who are the standout players that the Cherries will need to stop?
CB: I'd say Nichols is one, he's a really clever player. He's good technically, can score goals and likes to sit a bit deeper.
Ashley Nadesan scored against Leeds, he's really quick and a good striker, and then there's Jordan Tunnicliffe, the centre-back. He's good on the ball, a good defender and he also scored in the last round. There are a lot of good players, it's a solid team.
afcb.co.uk: What would your prediction be?
CB: I would have to go with Bournemouth, they've got a lot of Premier League quality with players like Jefferson Lerma.
I'll say 2-1 to Bournemouth, Crawley will give it a good go though.
You can follow Coren on Twitter – @corenblackburn
Officials: Andre Marriner (referee), Scott Ledger (assistant), Craig Taylor (assistant), Charles Breakspear (fourth official).
