Crawley Town 0 - 2 Stoke City: Crouch helps end Crawley dream

Crawley Town were unable to cause an FA Cup upset as Stoke secured progression to the quarter-finals despite Rory Delap’s early sending off.

Last year’s losing finalists avoided a fifth-round upset against the lowest ranked side left in the competition thanks to goals from Jon Walters and Peter Crouch. Crawley went out to Manchester United at the same stage last season but almost took a surprise lead when England international Crouch hit his own crossbar.

The Potters’ afternoon was made even more uncomfortable in the 17th minute when Delap was sent off for a challenge on David Hunt. However, the npower League Two side were unable to make the most of their man advantage as Walters slotted home from the spot just before half-time. Crouch doubled Stoke’s advantage seven minutes after the restart as Tony Pulis’ men secured a place in the quarter-finals for the third year running. Crawley, who previously dispatched of Championship duo Bristol City and Hull, came flying out of the traps at Broadfield Stadium and showed their attacking intent from the offset.

Sanchez Watt and Tyrone Barnett were causing problems during the opening exchanges, with Stoke’s defence reduced to some last-ditch challenges to thwart the hosts. Having seen Pablo Mills direct a header over, Crawley came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock in the eighth minute. Hunt’s corner caused havoc in the box and a defensive mishap saw the ball rebound off Crouch on to the underside of the crossbar, before Glenn Whelan hacked clear. The chance seemed to act as a wake-up call for the Potters, who soon began to exert pressure of their own. Crouch headed clean over the bar in the tenth minute, before Walters flashed a first-time shot across the face of goal moments later.

However, Stoke were dealt a blow in the 17th minute when Delap received a straight red card for a challenge on Hunt. The Stoke midfielder slid in on the right-back around the halfway line and referee Michael Jones deemed it worthy of a sending off. The visitors’ protests did nothing to sway the official’s decision as Hunt lay on the deck receiving several minutes of treatment.

The match was flowing from one end to the other with both sides missing chances before Stoke managed to break the deadlock from the spot. McFadzean upended Ryan Shawcross in the box, allowing Walters to fire home a 42nd-minute penalty – the first goal Crawley had conceded in this season’s FA Cup. The hosts were still pressing but conceded again early in the second half after Whelan’s inswinging free-kick from the left was headed home by Crouch.