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Crawley Boss Scott Lindsay has apologised for the challenge on his captain Jay Williams which cut short the debut of Brighton’s new signing Matt O’Reilly Premier League The team won 4–0 in the Carabao Cup.
O’Reilly was bought by the Seagulls for £25 million. Scottish Champion Celticwas sent off after just 10 minutes following a challenge, leaving the team upset. Brighton Laid on the bench, the midfielder was left sweating after seeing the results of his ankle scan.
The rift between the two worsened when Lindsay and Brighton coach Fabian Hürzeler were booked by referee Alex Chilowicz, although the two shook hands at the end of the match.
Lindsay said: “Maybe we were a bit aggressive, maybe the referee overlooked the challenge and I would like to apologise for that.”
“I don’t want anyone to get hurt. We are both passionate about the game and we wish Brighton all the best for the next round.”
Hürzeler denied that Crowley was too aggressive, saying: “You have to accept that that’s his way of playing.”
Commenting on the cases filed against both managers, the German said: “It was a matter of emotions – we had different opinions, but I shook hands with him after the match.”
“He’s a great coach, it was emotional and we shouldn’t complain.”
Hurzeler, whose side took a two-goal lead through Simon Edingra and Jeremy Sarmiento, with captain Adam Webster and substitute Mark O’Mahony scoring towards the end, was not fully satisfied with his side’s performance.
He said: “We made too many mistakes and were too passive.”
“But we were up against a lower league team, which can be tough, and in the end we’re happy with the result.”
Hurzeler hopes O’Reilly’s injury is not as serious as first feared, but added: “We have to wait for the scans. At the moment he can’t put any weight on his ankle.”
Lindsey believes Brighton put in a “really great performance” with their four goals, but is confident his League One side will be better off from the experience.
He said: “We were brave with and without the ball. We competed one-on-one with them and in the end it cost us.”
“We have to praise Brighton, they played really well in their moments.
“We want to dominate the ball and we need to make sure we are more efficient at that.”