Crawley Town boss Harry Kewell insists: '˜Winning Sussex Senior Cup is important to us'

Crawley Town head coach Harry Kewell is keen to win the Sussex Senior Cup final against Brighton & Hove Albion under-23s tonight at the Amex, kick-off 7.45pm.
Crawley Toown head coach Harry Kewell pictured at the One Call Stadium where Reds drew 1-1 with Mansfield Town.
Picture by Andrew RoeCrawley Toown head coach Harry Kewell pictured at the One Call Stadium where Reds drew 1-1 with Mansfield Town.
Picture by Andrew Roe
Crawley Toown head coach Harry Kewell pictured at the One Call Stadium where Reds drew 1-1 with Mansfield Town. Picture by Andrew Roe

He sees it as important to finish the season with some silverware.

The Reds gaffer is looking to win the Sussex showpiece and beat their local Sussex rivals’ under-23s side.

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Seagulls have won new fans with their style of play at the highest level this season and on Friday secured their status for next season thanks to a shock 1-0 win against second-placed Manchester United.

Crawley Town have not always seen the competition as a priority, and have not won it since 2005 when they beat Ringmer 2-0 in the final held at Eastbourne Borough’s Priory Lane ground.

Since then they have reached the final just twice, in 2008 and in 2017, losing both times to Brighton.

Kewell has taken the Sussex Senior Cup seriously all season and is keen to round off the season with some silverware.

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He said: “It is very important. We enter every cup competition to win it, and the Sussex Cup is no different.”

Kewell is underlining his desire to win the Sussex Cup by revealing he will name a strong team for the final, rather than giving an opportunity to squad players.

He said: “It will be a strong side who plays Brighton. Everyone who is fit is in contention to play.

“The squad want to win a trophy and they want to perform at a top stadium, they will all want to play in the final so picking the team won’t be easy for me.”

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Kewell would not comment on last season’s disappointing display in the final, which saw Reds lose 3-0 to the same opponents under the direction of previous head coach, the late Dermot Drummy.

At the time fans were disappointed that the players had not fully competed, and the former boss was sacked the following day.

Kewell stressed his players are keen to play in the prestigious stadium and to face such tough opposition.

He said: “I can’t comment on how a previous manager approached the final.

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“All I can do is assure our fans who do come down and support the team on Wednesday is that we will be doing our utmost to win it against a difficult opponent.

“Brighton U23s are the holders and they have had an outstanding season and their side contains a lot of talent, so we know it’s going to be tough.”