Crawley Town v Walsall preview
Last Updated: November 16, 2012 12:27pm
Gary Alexander: Faces a battle to win back his place
Team news ahead of Saturday's League One clash between Crawley and Walsall at Broadfield Stadium.
Gary Alexander faces a battle to win back his place in the Crawley attack.
The Town skipper dropped to the bench at Notts County last weekend following a run of 13 games without a goal, and his replacement Jonathan Forte scored in the 1-1 draw.
Defender Claude Davis will keep the captain's armband if Alexander misses out again.
Midfielder Hope Akpan is still unavailable as he serves the final game of the four-match ban he received for his second red card of the season against Oldham last month.
Nathan Byrne returned from an ankle knock at County so boss Richie Barker has an otherwise full-strength squad.
Fellow defender Mat Sadler will play against his former club.
Will Grigg, Sam Mantom and Andy Taylor all return to the fold as Walsall aim to reverse their 11-match winless run.
The trio missed Tuesday's abject FA Cup first-round exit at the hand of non-league Lincoln but provide a much-needed boost to the Saddlers squad.
Striker Grigg was on international duty with Northern Ireland, on-loan midfielder Mantom was ineligible for the cup tie while full-back Taylor was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Fellow defender Ben Purkiss is also making good progress with his hamstring problem although the encounter is likely to come just too soon.
There is also good news regarding influential midfielder Florent Cuvelier, whose hamstring own complaint is not as serious as first feared.
The on-loan Stoke playmaker is back in training and expected to be available for next Saturday's home clash against Hartlepool.
Matches
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npower League 1
Table
npower League 1
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 84 |
| 2 | Bournemouth | 46 | 83 |
| 3 | Brentford | 46 | 79 |
| 4 | Yeovil Town | 46 | 77 |
| 5 | Sheffield United | 46 | 75 |
| 6 | Swindon Town | 46 | 74 |
| 7 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 71 |
| 8 | Milton Keynes Dons | 46 | 70 |
| 9 | Walsall | 46 | 68 |
| 10 | Crawley Town | 46 | 68 |
| 11 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 67 |
| 12 | Notts County | 46 | 65 |
| 13 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 64 |
| 14 | Preston North End | 46 | 59 |
| 15 | Coventry City | 46 | 55 |
| 16 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 55 |
| 17 | Carlisle United | 46 | 55 |
| 18 | Stevenage | 46 | 54 |
| 19 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 51 |
| 20 | Colchester United | 46 | 51 |
| 21 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 48 |
| 22 | Bury | 46 | 41 |
| 23 | Hartlepool United | 46 | 41 |
| 24 | Portsmouth | 46 | 32 |
