Mukena and Sandford sign new Crawley deals

Joy Mukena's season was cut short by a serious knee injury in December

Joy Mukena and Ryan Sandford have both signed contract extensions to remain at Crawley Town.

Defender Mukena has agreed a new one-year deal, while goalkeeper Sandford has extended his stay by six months after missing the entirety of last season with a knee injury.

Mukena, 25, made 25 appearances for the Reds last season before his campaign was also ended with an injury to his knee in December.

He played 18 times as Crawley won promotion to League One in 2023-24.

Sandford, 26, moved to Broadfield Stadium from AFC Wimbledon but is yet to make an appearance for Crawley, having not played a professional game since December 2022 while on loan at Maidstone United from Millwall.

Ryan Sandford [pictured] and Mukena were unused substitutes as Crawley beat Crewe Alexandra at Wembley to win the 2023-24 League Two play-off final

"We wanted to make sure that both Joy and Ryan were looked after in the appropriate manner after they suffered unfortunate injuries last season," chairman Preston Johnson told the club's website.

"We continue to make big strides in looking after both players and staff at Crawley Town Football Club, and releasing the pair with the injuries that they faced would not have been right or fair.

"That, paired with the fact that we believe both of them can make worthwhile contributions to the team, made this a very easy decision."

Scott Lindsey's side finished last season 21st in League One and were relegated to the fourth tier.