Westwood leads a more professional approach
A MORE professional approach to the game has been the key behind Crawley's surge to promotion this season, according to first team captain James Westwood.
The skipper has had an instant impact in his second spell leading the side, overseeing a glorious season where Crawley clinched second spot in Kent/Sussex Division One and giant leap up the reorganised hockey pyramid.
They did so with a defiant 2-2 draw against eventual champions Sutton Valence, coming from two goals down to snatch the precious point they needed.
Effectively, the promotion catapults them up two divisions into a new regional league while the rest of the team in their league plunge down into a new Sussex League system.
Westwood says the implications of not finishing in the top two made him determined to succeed and he feels the appointment of experienced coach Martyn Cremin and manager Keith Frimley has engendered an improved attitude among the players.
"If we were going to go for it we had to get a coach, do the fitness and turn up to training when we could," said Westwood.
"We put it all in place and it was a lot more professional than what we had before. One of my main things was that we had to have a regular coach. It normally fell on the captain to take training but I felt we needed a coach and it has paid dividends.
"Training regularly has also had a big impact. We play as a team and have set routines and short corner routines which we practice weekly and score a lot of goals as a result. And by having everyone at training we can do exercises which are team related.
"We have also been given our own fitness programmes to do off our own backs and it's been very evident against teams in the last few games where we have come on very strong in the latter stages and scored some important goals."
None more important than that scored by Steve Innes in the final 10 minutes of their clash with Sutton Valence two weeks ago, but the captain insisted he could see it coming.
"We had a lot of chances and they had only two but scored two goals. It was just about being patient and the goals would come and it worked out that way."
In the end, only Crawley, Sutton and Mid Sussex looked like winning the league and after drawing with the latter in January, Crawley thought they were almost home and dry, assuming they could win most of their other games.
But along came the cold weather of February and an unexpected 3-1 defeat for Westwood's men at Worthing-based Penguin.
"Against Penguin the problem there was they have a water-based pitch and it was a week where there had been snow," explained the captain.
"We played it but looking back we maybe shouldn't have. A water-based pitch is supposed to deaden the bounce but it costs a lot to water it and so they don't water it that often.
"We like to play quick attacking hockey but when the ball is bouncing over your stick it doesn't matter how good you are. It's the football equivalent of playing on a ploughed field – a great leveller."
It returned Mid Sussex to the promotion race but their challenge ended on March 21 with a defeat by Sutton Valence, and Crawley made it over the line the following weekend with a draw."
Westwood used 20 players this season because the standard of the second team has improved, while established talents have shone brightly. Player of the season Kieran Fuller smashed an invaluable 27 goals.
It means Crawley now have a crack at some big hockey clubs in the new Kent/Sussex Premier Division but their captain is making the objective very simple: survival.
"The standard is going to be quite high and it will take a while to settle down. Our main goal will be to stay in that league," said Westwood, who has played with national champions East Grinstead.
"It means we are now in the same league as Lewes, who have always been a national league team, so it's quite a big jump up for us. They have also opened up the leagues to second XI teams. It has always been just first XIs, but some of the strong clubs in the south east have very good second XIs and we'll now have some of those in our league."
Crawley's loftier status has already drawn interest from players on the edge of national league clubs, but who leads the team next year is yet to be decided.
Westwood said: "I agreed to do it at the start of the season as a one-season thing.
"Steve Innes, the vice captain, was looking to take it on, but everyone has been putting pressure on me to continue.
"I think I could end up doing it just to settle us down in the new league next year, but I have not made a decision yet."
