Footage has emerged of Sidemen stars training with League Two side Crawley Town in the hopes of making their debuts in the FA Cup against Accrington Stanley this weekend.
Last week it was announced that Crawley had handed trials to three YouTubers, Tobi Brown and his brothers Manny and Jed, all of whom are part of Sidemen FC, a football team set up by internet stars.
Following a session on Tuesday, Crawley released images of the newcomers being put through their paces and in an interview with Sky Sports, Tobi and Manny admitted that the standard was a step up from what they’re used to.
READ MORE: Crawley Town give trial to YouTubers from Sidemen match in time for FA Cup tie
“[They have] much quicker pace. Much sharper as well than us, but that’s to be expected when you train everyday,” Tobi, otherwise known as ‘TBJZL’, admitted.
“The fitness was a big factor as well because I was blowing, I was breathing heavy. You know I haven’t played football in two-and-a-half months. These lot [his brothers] were a bit more fit than me because they play a bit more regularly but the level of fitness these boys have and the professionalism they show is crazy.
“And the best thing about it is they made us feel at home as well… lovely bunch of guys honestly, I can’t speak higher of them.”
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(Image: Sky Sports/Twitter)
Crawley, who are owned by crypto sports company WAGMI United, announced in September that they’d formed a partnership with Sidemen FC, who sold out The Valley – home of Charlton Athletic – a few weeks back for a charity match against The YouTuber Allstars.
Crawley sent scouts to the match, where Tobi and Manny starred, combining for three of the eight goals Sidemen scored during the 8-7 thriller.
The Only Way Is Essex star Mark Wright previously signed for Crawley and was brought on as a substitute against Leeds United in an FA Cup 3rd round tie in January 2021. He also started a league match against Harrogate Town a month later, but was hooked at half-time.
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