Arsenal loanee blocks out critics amid revival in form
Arsenal loanee Mazeed Ogungbo has faced plenty of obstacles in his spell with League Two side Crawley Town so far.
There was the early red card against AFC Wimbledon, the injury setbacks, and the sacking of Kevin Betsy – who had brought him to the club after previously managing him with the Arsenal academy.
Crawley haven’t always been sure how to use the 20-year-old even when he’s been available, trying him out as a wing-back, a winger, a centre-back, and a left-back at various stages.
The team’s results have also been poor. Before March 10th, Ogungbo had made 14 league appearances, and Crawley had won just two of those games.
Yet his fortunes have recently started to change. Ogungbo has made four consecutive league starts in the last few weeks, the longest run he’s managed all season. All have been at left-back.
Of those four games, three have been wins, the other a draw. Crawley have kept two clean sheets, and Ogungbo capped off his most recent appearance with an assist.
Playing against Rochdale, the Arsenal loanee drove a pass across the box to Dom Telford, who spun and fired it home for the opening goal.
Crawley remain in the bottom three of the league, and it’ll be hard to shake the negative feelings that have built up over seven months in just a few weeks.
Some fans on social media seemingly remain cynical about Ogungbo, but the improved results will hopefully start to speak for themselves.
The manager clearly believes that the Ireland u20 international is playing a positive role in his new position, and that’s what counts.