Max Watters winner provides perfect tonic for Crawley assistant Lee Bradbury

Posted Sunday, December 20, 2020 by PA

Assistant boss Lee Bradbury heaped praise on his Crawley side and match-winner Max Watters after watching the Red Devils collect only their second away win of the Sky Bet League Two season when they beat Leyton Orient 2-1.

The two teams were locked at one apiece after an own goal by Josh Coulson had given the visitors the advantage before Tom Dallison-Lisbon put through his own net to level matters.

But marksman Watters struck his 16th goal of the season to collect all three points for Bradbury’s side and move them to within three points of a play-off place.

“It was a good game from us,” Bradbury said. “I thought we were disciplined without being productive in the first half and frustrated them but we switched it up in the second half and tried to get after them and it was much better. It was important to take a couple of the number of chances that we created.

“We had joked with Max Watters before the game that he was on a drought after not having scored for two games but he finished it brilliantly as he has done so many times this season. It was made for him by the substitute Ashley Nadesan who was a real threat when he came on.

“I thought we should have had a penalty as well when our player was wiped out and it was very frustrating because I felt the decisions weren’t particularly good for both sets of teams.

“But overall, I am delighted with our performance because this is a place where Orient have done well.”

Orient head coach Ross Embleton was critical of his side’s performance.

“I felt the goals we conceded were similar to those we let in at Morecambe on Tuesday night and we needed to do much better when those balls found their way into our penalty box,” he said.

The O’s had won their last four home league matches but rarely looked likely to add to that sequence.

“I never felt we had control on the game and we didn’t really create a huge amount and it was only when we moved the ball quickly that we looked better,” Embleton added.

“Our message at half-time was to increase the tempo and keep moving the ball. We knew Crawley would come to make it difficult and sit off us but we didn’t do well enough.

“Both sides had shouts for penalties. From our perspective I thought the challenge on James Brophy was a foul in the box.

“Our pitch is poor and we played ourselves into difficult areas of the park and as a result we gave the ball away on far too many occasions and they countered well and as a result we lost the game.”