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Monday, August 25, 2008, 11:11
As if that nightmare start wasn't bad enough – Tyrone Thompson was sent off just after Jon-Paul Pittman's opening goal - United went on to concede two pretty obvious penalties in each half.
And they were a shade lucky not to go down to nine men just before half-time when referee Darren Sheldrake brandished only a yellow card to striker Matt Green after he threw a raised arm at Crawley defender Adam Quinn in an off-the-ball spat.
Even with ten men, United did give themselves a chance of salvaging what would have been a miraculous point when Roscoe Dsane pulled the score back to 2-1 in the 49th minute.
Skipper Chris Hargreaves, restored to midfield by manager Paul Buckle in a major shakeup after the midweek home defeat by Ebbsfleet, also missed a clear chance to equalise only eight minutes later.
But any real hopes that United might have had were ended with Michael Brough's handball in the 76th minute.
Substitute Jamie Cook obliged with the penalty, and it was all over.
Buckle's selection – five personnel and three positional changes from the team which started against Woking – represented a sweeping overhaul.
Out went the injured Chris Todd in defence, Danny Stevens and Nicky Wroe in midfield and both Tim Sills, the biggest surprise, and Elliot Benyon up front.
In a return to the 'engine room' which started last season, Hargreaves and right-back Lee Mansfield were moved to midfield. Thompson switched to right-back.
Into the side came Michael Brough and fit-again Lee Hodges in central defence, Mustapha Carayol on the left wing and Green and Dsane in attack.
Brough, Carayol, Green and Dsane were all given their first starts of the season.
With that many changes, the last thing United needed was a bad start. As it turned out, their start was worse than bad.
In the ninth minute they had plenty of men around to defend Brad Thomas' long free-kick.
But Adam Quinn was still allowed to flick on an unopposed header and Pittman had time and space to take a touch, improve his angle and shoot across Michael Poke just inside the right-hand post…1-0.
A minute later United were down to ten men.
Thompson and Lewis Killeen both slid into one of those front-on 50-50 challenges which always carry a risk. If either man had pulled out, they stood a good chance of getting hurt.
Thompson certainly didn't pull out, and his studs went through the tackle and connected with Killeen's midriff.
It may have been one of those challenges which looked slightly worse than it was, but nobody argued much when referee Darren Sheldrake sent Thompson off. He had little option.
United pulled Wayne Carlisle from right wing to right back.
You would have thought that Crawley would tear into wounded, handicapped opposition, but in a first half of depressingly poor quality, they seemed unsure of how completely to commit themselves.
For most of the afternoon they played with two wingers, Danny Forrest and Killeen out wide, only Pittman up front, with Simon Weatherstone 'in the hole' between midfield and attack.
Pittman's pace was always a threat to Brough and Hodges, but there was still some hope for United, because both Green and Carayol clearly had the legs on several home defenders.
But much of the play, on both sides, was almost in slow-motion and, in some instances, downright sub-standard.
On the half-hour United pressed the self-destruct button again.
Simon Weatherstone aimed a diagonal free-kick from the right at Killeen. Mansell, stretching to reach the ball, tried to cut it out with his boot and only succeeded in catching Killeen's head.
It was more clumsy and awkward than malicious, but again Mr. Sheldrake had a fairly easy decision to make.
Mansell was booked and Pinault drove the penalty low to Poke's right…2-0.
Hargreaves needed treatment for a head knock, but soon returned to the action.
But little more of consequence happened before Quinn and Green suddenly fell out on the stroke of half-time.
Quinn appeared to get too close for Green's comfort, their legs tangled, the pair momentarily squared up to each other and then, as they broke off to meet a throw-in to Torquay, Green threw out an arm.
Luckily, he did not connect.
Mr. Sheldrake's view was impeded, but linesman Daniel Austin and nearly everybody else had seen the incident.
The officials had a long chat before Mr. Sheldrake, to Crawley's consternation, settled for a booking, not just for Green but for Quinn too.
Buckle had seen enough, or maybe not enough, because he took Green off at half-time and sent on Sills at centre-forward.
Sills' impact was clear and immediate.
He won a series of headers, not just in attack but defence too.
Four minutes into the second half Sills headed on Hodges free-kick and Dsane got in front of his marker to send a smart, chest-high volley past former United goalkeeper Simon Rayner from ten yards…2-1.
Moments later it took a brilliant tip-over save by Poke to deny Pittman from 22 yards, after Mansell had lost possession in a dangerous area.
But in the 57th minute United made and missed a golden chance to equalise as Crawley's nerves started to jangle.
Sills, causing all sorts of problems, was fouled wide on the left. Hodges' free-kick was right on the money, but the unmarked Hargreaves headed over from eight yards when he should have hit the target.
That escape seemed to gee Crawley up, for they finally got into something like top gear.
They had loud penalty appeals turned down, rightly so, after Thomas went down over Brough's outstretched boot.
Crawley boss Steve Evans sent on last season's leading scorer Cook for Forrest in the 73rd minute, finally committing two men up front.
And three minutes later the result was put beyond doubt.
Brough, struggling to cover Pittman's chase after a through-ball, tried to chest the ball away, but ended up using his arm instead.
Again, any arguments were half-hearted, Mr. Sheldrake pointed to the spot and this time Cook hoofed the penalty straight down the middle…3-1.
United sent on Steve Adams for Hargreaves and Benyon for Dsane in the closing stages.
In the last minute Mansell did set up Benyon with a good pass into the area, but the Gulls' substitute tried to have a touch too many and the chance was gone.
A bad day all round for the Gulls, and they need a big performance against Salisbury at Plainmoor today to start turning things around.
BSP RESULTS: Barrow 2 Mansfield 1; Crawley 3 Torquay 1; Eastbourne 0 Cambridge 3; Ebbsfleet 4 Stevenage 0; Histon 4 Burton 3; Kettering 1 Rushden 1; Kidderminster 4 Altrincham 0; Northwich 2 York 2; Salisbury 1 Grays 0; Weymouth 2 Lewes 0; Woking 0 Forest Green 1.
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