Ronaldo hang time and a lot of young talent - Things we learned from Crawley Town's win over Charlton Athletic in the EFL Trophy

Lindsey made nine changes to the team who drew 3-3 with Stockport with only Harry Forster and Harry Ransom – who took over captaincy duties – surviving from Saturday’s starting XI. Travis Johnson played in the Jay Williams defensive midfield role while Klaidi Lolos led the line with Jack Roles, Forster and Darcy supporting him in attack.

Charlton also made changes but still looked strong with Manchester City loanee Slobodan Tedic playing the whole of the second half.

Forster gave the Reds the lead after just 41 seconds before Miles Leaburn and Tyreece Campbell made it 2-1. Lolos then equalised just before the break. A stunning strike from Addicks skipper George Dobson restored the visitors’ lead but Lindsey’s men did not give up and great strikes from Nick Tsaroulla and Raf Khaleel ensured the win.

Here are five things we learned from the victory.

Strength in depth

Scott Lindsey may not have the biggest squad, but he has a good one to work with. To make nine changes and not only compete with, but beat a decent League One Charlton side shows the strength in depth he has. Klaidi Lolos looks like a mercurial talent and could easily lead the line in a league match. Reds fans have only really seen Travis Johnson at either full back or centre back but last night he stepped into the defensive midfielder role with ease. Khaleel and Roles looked comfortable on the ball and were creative with their passing. And although he had a shaky first half, Luca Ashby-Hammond pulled off some important saves late on and could be be an option against Newport County on Saturday.

Young talent

The starting XI had an average age of 22 last night, with Jack Roles the oldest player at 24. But the maturity shown by some of the play, the composure on the ball and the character to come back after letting in two goals in four minutes shows these young players are cut out for this level. Lindsey made it clear early on that he wanted a younger, fresher squad this season and that’s what he got. The recruitment, although first met with scepticism from some quarters, has been spot on. He clearly saw something in Lolos to bring him in from Oxford City and he looks like he could be some player as the season goes on. If he can keep this squad together – and the Reds can keep hold of Lindsey – the future looks bright for Crawley Town.

Ronaldo-esque hang time

We have already mentioned Lolos – but his goal is worth further mention. From Jack Roles’ cross, Lolos leapt like the proverbial salmon to head home. But what impressed was his hang time, giving the defender no chance. Both myself and fellow reporter Sam Morton looked at each other and both said, ‘that was like watching Ronaldo’ (Cristiano not the original!). He is a tall player anyway, but the way he floated through the air was majestic and gave the defender and keeper no chance. He showed his impressive hang time again in the second half to win balls and flick ons. This guy can play and could be a real option in the League.

Need another striker? Nah!

As the Transfer Window drew to a close, following the departures of Dom Telford and Ashley Nadesan, most Reds fans assumed Lindsey would bring in another forward player. But in that last week before deadline day, we only saw defender Laurence Maguire join the ranks on loan. There was concern from some quarters that there would be a lack of goal options. But since the window closed, Crawley have scored seven goals in two games with seven different goal scorers. Danilo Orsi, Adam Campbell, Maguire, Khaleel, Lolos, Tsaroulla and Forster have all hit the back of the net. Lindsey knows this squad has goals in them, and he has always said, if they weren’t creating chances, that would be the concern. But every game – even the 6-0 defeat at Swindon – they have created chances and in the last two games they have taken advantage. Long may it continue.

Man management, honesty and ‘family’

Lindsey clearly has the respect of this squad and he knows how to get the best out of his players. He made three pre-planned substitutions at half-time and when asked if he thought they made the difference defensively, he responded ‘no, what I thought made the difference was going mental at them at half time’. He has always been very honest with the press and we assume he’s is very honest with his players. That will always garner respect. And when you speak to the players, there is a real togetherness which we haven’t seen at Crawley for a long time. The word ‘family’ has been used a lot on recent interviews, and, with the style of play, if Crawley Town was a movie franchise it would be the Fast and Furious and Lindsey would be Dom Toretto. Who knows what will happen this season, but one thing we do know is the club appears to be changing for the better with Lindsey at the helm.