Can United's Wild-est dream come true? Another win, another three points and the Chris Wilder revolution is starting to make the rest of the Blue Square Premier look over their shoulders. A fine strike from skipper Adam Murray secured the points this time in a hard fought game at Crawley, and after four straight home wins a win on the road has got just about every U's fan looking at the table and wondering...

Having won those five home league games but just the two away wins all season boss Wilder decided to change the system and switch to three centre halves. Chris Willmott, Luke Foster and Shane Killock filled those positions with debutant Damien Batt and Chris Carruthers asked to provide width. Adams Chapman and Murray filled the midfield slots, with Craig Nelthorpe further forward supporting James Constable and Yemi Odubade.

It started promisingly as a Nelthorpe cross caused panic in the second minute and Odubade's shot from eight yards was bravely blocked by the home side's Jake Wright. Another cross, this time from the other side from Constable at the bye-line, so nearly picked out the stretching Carruthers, and on eleven minutes came the clearest chance of the lot as a Turley punt was missed by the defence but Constable couldn't quite get the bouncing ball into the net as keeper Rayner came rushing to meet him.

With a Nelthorpe strike from 25 yards stinging Rayner's hands a minute later the chances were coming United's way, but on 22 minutes a very harsh booking for Constable for blocking a clearance will have annoyed Wilder who will now be without his top scorer when The U's welcome Lewes next Sunday afternoon. The only blot on an otherwise excellent afternoon.

Crawley, all bluster and bustle, were having a bit of joy from Michael Malcolm on the right wing and big centre forward Rob Matthews on his debut after signing from Salisbury but only had a powerful far post header from Matthews to worry Billy Turey in the opening half hour. Gradually though they were building up a head of steam, and when Shane Killock pulled his hamstring right on half time making a vital challenge it had been a half of two halves.

Killock was replaced by Eddie Hutchinson at the break, and United once again started well, with Rayner down neatly to his right to keep out an Odubade drive from just inside the box after only seven seconds. The ever shifting shape had now morphed (Tony Hart RIP) into a 4-1-3-2 line up, with Chapman again patrolling the area in front of the defence to good effect, and Murray given a free role further forward.

Suddenly the game opened up. A good chance for Simon Weatherstone saw him roll back the years to his time at The Manor by  tapping the ball with great technique wide of the empty net on 53 minutes, and on 55 it took a magnificent save from Turley to reach back and tip a Matthews header over the bar. At the other end the flying Nelthorpe asked questions of Rayner once again on 57, with Murray almost latching on to the rebound, and then on 61 came the breakthrough.

Murray enjoys playing with that freedom behind the front man and when Crawley stood off him on the edge of the box they quickly regretted it as he switched it out of his feet and touched it past his man then drove it low and hard across the keeper and unerringly into the far corner of the net to make it 1-0.

Taking the sting out of the game United were still dangerous on the break and sub Haldane might have made more of a break on 66 when he blazed over with Constable all on his own at the far post. Even more criminally he did the same thing four minutes later, the only difference being that this effort ended up in Rayner's hands from a chip rather than the stand. On both occasions the shot should have gone across the keeper and when Nelthrope did fizz one across the face of goal on 77 minutes The U's should have doubled their lead as everyone watched its progress almost along the goal line without reacting quickly enough.

Crawley kept bombing the ball forward but United had pace and purpose when they broke into the spaces and should have finished the game once and for all on 79 as Nelthorpe elected to try and cut inside rather than shoot from fifteen yards after a magnificent run from Haldane and a cross which picked out Nelthorpe all on his own.

An extra goal would have made it easier on the nerves, but a win is a win and this was an excellent victory over a side with very real play-off dreams of their own.

Att: 1,603

Away:544

Report by Chris Williams

See the action in GALLERY, hear the reaction in Yellow World