Welcome to a very special Crawley Town play-off final edition of the Gullmouth Action podcast.
Matt Pole, is joined by Reds writers Mark Dunford and Sam Morton.
Crawley Town are off to Wembley for the first time in their history on Sunday. The Reds take on Crewe in the League Two play-off final looking to earn promotion back to League One for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign. We look at Crawley’s chances in the play-off final, plus bring you all the latest team news ahead of Sunday’s showpiece final.
Matt Pole, is joined by Reds writers Mark Dunford and Sam Morton.
Crawley Town are off to Wembley for the first time in their history on Sunday. The Reds take on Crewe in the League Two play-off final looking to earn promotion back to League One for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign. We look at Crawley’s chances in the play-off final, plus bring you all the latest team news ahead of Sunday’s showpiece final.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome to a very special Crawley Town Playoff Final edition of the GoalMath Action Podcast.
00:06I'm Matt Pole and I'm joined by Reds writers Mark Dunford and Sam Morton.
00:10Crawley Town are off to Wembley for the first time in their history on Sunday.
00:13The Reds take on Crew Alexandra in the League Two Playoff Final,
00:16looking to earn promotion back to League One for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign.
00:21We'll take a look at Crawley's chances in the Playoff Final,
00:24plus bring you all the latest team news ahead of Sunday's Showpiece Final.
00:28You can read all the stories we are talking about with videos and pictures online at
00:32sussexworlds.co.uk forward slash sport,
00:34and you can check out other great videos on shotstv.com and Freeview channel 276.
00:39You may also be watching on latest TV, so thank you very much for tuning in.
00:43But Crawley Town secured their place in the final with a pair of thumping wins over MK Dons.
00:48Scott Lindsay's side had established a 3-0 first leg lead in West Sussex on Tuesday,
00:53and Daniello Orsi's hat-trick helped the Reds thrash the Dons 5-1 on Saturday evening,
00:57and quite frankly, Mark, it was some evening, wasn't it?
01:00It was unbelievable. I mean, before the game, there were still some nerves,
01:06and I think the crew result the night before had sort of focused their minds a little bit more
01:12with everybody expecting Doncaster to go through.
01:14But what they needed was an early goal, and I think it was Will Wright who tweeted,
01:20only one person in that Crawley team could have tackled a goal, scored with a tackle,
01:25and that was Jay Williams, and he scored after a couple of minutes,
01:28and then that just, I think that settled the nerves.
01:30It didn't settle the nerves of Sam Gadsden, who was sat behind me, even when it was 4-1.
01:34I think he still thought they were going to lose it, just because he's such a die-hard fan.
01:39But they were unbelievable. They just outplayed, out-fought, out-tackled, out-pressed everything,
01:47and it was an absolute masterclass, and yeah, it was a record win at the end of the day.
01:52It was 8-1, and yeah, they were brilliant, and Danilo Orsi, I mean, his first goal I thought was brilliant.
02:00A really good goal, edge of the area. Adam Campbell made the decoy run.
02:04But his second and third goals, I mean, I could have scored them, but he's been doing that all year.
02:10He's been in the right place, right time, and some brilliant build-up plays for all of them,
02:15and yeah, they were brilliant, and the atmosphere was incredible.
02:18The MK Dons fans, yeah, they turned pretty quickly on their own side.
02:23But the Crawley fans out-sung them all night long. You could hear them.
02:27They tried to hide them away in the top tier of that huge, empty stadium, and they made themselves heard.
02:34What I loved was every time a Crawley player scored in the first half, because they were shooting away from the Crawley fans,
02:40they ran the whole length of the pitch to celebrate in front of those Crawley fans, and it was a great sight.
02:45With Jay Williams, it was like proper Adebayor against Arsenal when New Play for Man scored against Man City,
02:51or whichever way around it was. But yeah, a brilliant, brilliant, historic evening,
02:56and now we've got, hopefully, an even bigger, better day to come.
03:00Absolutely. You mentioned the final scoreline over two legs of 8-1.
03:04That condemned MK Dons to the biggest aggregate defeat in the history of the play-offs.
03:08We knew that it was going to be an evenly matched side as both sides were in the play-off stand,
03:12but I don't think many people would have predicted that scoreline before the first game, would they?
03:17Not at all. No, I certainly didn't see it coming. I was confident that Crawley could get the job done,
03:22but I certainly was predicting a close tie, really, especially when you consider that MK Dons finished higher up in the table.
03:32They were obviously the nearest best finishers after the automatic promotion places,
03:38so you kind of felt that they would be in the strongest position on paper to go further into the Wembley showpiece final.
03:46But I really didn't see anything like that. We obviously heard from the reporters from MK Dons in the first leg,
03:53but the way they played was nothing like how they had been playing all season,
03:57and they've been resorted to playing long balls and trying to bypass the dominant midfielder, Crawley, in the game.
04:03And it seems that it was very similar again and potentially even worse in the second leg.
04:08It really was, yeah.
04:09Yeah, they just couldn't get to grips with it at all.
04:13Yeah, it's a difficult one to put it down to. Obviously, Crawley just handled the occasion better.
04:18And obviously, MK Dons, I think, have had a bit of a poor run in the play-off, so maybe that was in the back of their minds as well.
04:22Crawley are completely fresh to it and had really nothing to lose.
04:26So, yeah, I was definitely surprised by how easy it was.
04:30And it's just amazing, really, and Crawley really are in the headlines and have kind of made the world of football take notice, really.
04:37And I think we're going to go into it in a minute.
04:39But once again, just proving how much of a crazy decision it was that Scott Lindsay was overlooked being manager of the year, really.
04:45Well, absolutely, yeah. As you said, we'll come on to that in a minute.
04:48But going back to the game at MK Dons, Mark, where was it won for the Reds and how good was Scott Lindsay's tactical set-up on the night?
04:56He's been superb over the two legs, hasn't he?
04:58Yeah, and like I said, they've been doing it all season.
05:01But, I mean, it's just, I think these two legs highlighted the amazing job he's done.
05:06And he did, he just, like I said, they out-fought them, out-fought them with an F and out-fought them with a TH as well.
05:13And it was, yeah, I think it was a tactical masterclass.
05:17He wanted to be aggressive and in both games they scored within a couple of minutes, in the first five minutes.
05:23And I think that was absolutely key because the first game it knocked us down.
05:26Because, yeah, remember from the first game that Max Dean rounded Corey O'Day wheel-right clearance when it was nil-nil.
05:33If that had gone in, who knows how this would have ended up.
05:36I still think Crawley could have won over the two legs, but it could have been a completely different story.
05:40But then Liam Kelly scored straight away and I think that knocked the stuff in out of them.
05:44And like I said, the J Williams goal did exactly the same.
05:47And I think it was just how aggressive Crawley were.
05:51And like we said, they've been like it all season.
05:53And Scott Lindsay said after the game, he's never going to change how he sets up his team.
05:57Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
05:59But this time it really did work.
06:01But I don't know, like Sam said, I think it might have been a little bit of mental block for MK Dons in the playoffs.
06:11They've been there five times now, maybe six, and never got to Wembley.
06:15They've lost every one.
06:17And yeah, I think Crawley might have played on that a little bit and just aggressive.
06:22I don't know if it was a plan, but they've had the fans onside all season.
06:29But just geeing the fans up every time there was a tackle, every time they scored, every time Corey O'Day made a save,
06:35wheel-right moves, but they were just geeing the fans up all the time.
06:38And I think that had a huge part in it as well.
06:41But the tactics and all that, it all comes down to Scott Lindsay and his team.
06:45And I know he will give credit to everyone else as well.
06:48But he is the focal point and he has just been fantastic.
06:52I mean, I've been raving about him all season, just how great he is to speak to.
06:56But seeing how he's got this side playing and winning, it's just incredible.
07:03Yeah, we're going to kind of talk more about the final itself in the second half of this podcast.
07:08But how crucial is it that Scott Lindsay sticks to that plan of aggression in the player final
07:14and kind of not overthink it in terms of his set-up?
07:18Is that to me? Sorry.
07:19Yes.
07:20Yeah. Yeah. Sorry. Yeah. Oh, yeah, he has to. They have to stick to it.
07:24I mean, I did ask yesterday, is there this thing where you go to Wembley and you think,
07:30oh, does it play on your mind and you think, oh, do I have to do anything different?
07:33He was just like, no.
07:34They're trying to keep, I think they're trying to keep training as normal as possible this week.
07:39Yes, they're talking about going to Wembley, but they're not saying, oh, wow, we're playing at Wembley.
07:44I think he's playing it down a little bit.
07:46They know it's a big occasion, but when it comes to the football side of things,
07:50it's just another game for them.
07:52And I think, yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if Crawley go out and get an early goal
07:57and settle the nerve straight away.
07:59Because the way they played against MK Dons, they'll do the same against Kroo.
08:03Kroo are a very different side.
08:05But I think, yeah, and they obviously beat Crawley twice this season already.
08:10So there will be that element.
08:12But I think Scott Lindsay, they won't change the thing.
08:14They'll go out and do what they did against MK Dons, hopefully, and end up winning.
08:19Well, fingers crossed.
08:21We're sticking with Lindsay.
08:23Sam, you've mentioned it.
08:24It does seem a bit daft that he wasn't even nominated for League Two Man of the Season.
08:27Does it now, back of those two performances?
08:30Absolutely.
08:31Just farcical, really.
08:33It's going to make the decision-makers look really silly.
08:38Already has done.
08:39But even more so if they were to get promoted.
08:41Because at the end of the day, they were the favourites to go down.
08:43Everyone, I think, including us, I think, didn't expect them to have a fantastic season.
08:49It didn't necessarily get them to go down.
08:51But certainly where they've ended up this season was beyond any fan's wildest dreams, I think.
08:55When you consider how poor it was last season and how close to relegation they were.
08:59And obviously, all the talk was about how they'd not signed anyone of real league experience
09:04and gone on to the non-league.
09:06And people just wondering how that's going to work out.
09:09And, yeah, all the talk was about finishing.
09:11They're going to have the worst ever points tally.
09:13And I think, as we mentioned before, the Crawley Town players have remembered that.
09:18And it's been in the back of their minds all season about proving people wrong.
09:21And they really have done.
09:23I think Scott himself has probably had that in his mind as well.
09:26And just really trying to prove what he can do and why he's so highly rated.
09:30And he's just really got the best out of each and every single one of the players this season.
09:34And his management skills just out there were the absolute best.
09:38And it seems like the players just love playing under him.
09:41And, yeah, he really could have done a better job in the circumstances that he's had, I think.
09:46And to not even be nominated for Manager of the Year is ludicrous, really.
09:51Ludicrous.
09:53On that point, I asked Dion Conroy about it yesterday.
09:56And I said, I framed the question around, it was just before the Mansfield game.
10:01The nominations were announced.
10:04And it was obviously Nigel Clough, Mike Williamson, Lee Bell.
10:07So the Mansfield, MkDons crew.
10:10The very next day, or no, it was two days later, they played the Mansfield away, beat them 4-1.
10:15So there you go, Nigel Clough had that.
10:18And then, obviously, in these playoffs, Mike Williamson, MkDons, nominated for Manager of the Year.
10:238-1, record everything.
10:24Now we've got Lee Bell in the final.
10:26So hopefully he can complete the trilogy.
10:28But I said to Dion, as I framed the question to that Dion Conroy,
10:31Dion Conroy just laughed and just said, it's unbelievable.
10:34He wasn't even shortlisted.
10:36He said he should have won it.
10:38I mean, Nigel Clough's got promotion, and he actually did win it.
10:42He's got automatic promotion, so you can't deny he's done a great job.
10:46But in slightly different circumstances, I would say, from what Lindsay has done and achieved with this group of players.
10:55Yeah, well, Sam mentioned it, that he, post-match, Lindsay said that the Reds had proved a lot of people wrong,
11:01and we've already highlighted a myriad of reasons why they've done that.
11:04But they've really thrived off of that, haven't they?
11:06That expectation of people looking at little old Crawley, haven't they, this season, Mark?
11:10Yeah, both Danilo Orsi and Scott Lindsay both said afterwards,
11:15that it's fuelled them, and Scott Lindsay actually thanked everyone who backed them to go down.
11:20Yeah, it's fuelled them.
11:23I mean, I get the idea, even if people didn't back them to go down,
11:27they would have still liked to have been seen as the underdogs.
11:30I think they quite like that tag, because they have gone under the radar a lot this season,
11:35in certain terms of attention from media and stuff like that.
11:40We've obviously given them press every week, because that's our job.
11:43But now, I mean, the last two press conferences I've been to,
11:47it hasn't just been in the little room with me and the club media,
11:50it's been with Sky Sports, ITV, BBC, everyone.
11:54And it's been great, and yeah, it's great to see that they are finally getting that attention.
12:00And it's because of their performances, but it's not like they've suddenly changed
12:06and become this really amazing team that play great football.
12:08It's only because it was live on Sky that everybody's really sitting up now and taking notice.
12:12And I'm delighted that Scott's now starting to get the attention that he deserves,
12:17and the team, and the players.
12:19But yeah, it was interesting. They both used the same phrasing.
12:23It's fuelled us this year, both Orsi and Lindsay after the game.
12:27So it's something they've obviously spoken about, but yeah, great.
12:31Great. Prove them all wrong.
12:33Well, we've spoken quite a lot about Scott Lindsay, but Sam,
12:36which Reds players stood out for you at NK Dons?
12:40It must have been incredibly difficult to choose a man of the match
12:43from those group of players that were on the pitch.
12:45Yeah, definitely a difficult one to choose.
12:48I think each and every one of the players just played out their skins.
12:51But I think you can't look past Danilo Orsi to score a hat-trick
12:54and on the occasion, as Mark's already touched on,
12:57that first goal especially was just expertly taken.
13:01And the second goal was just after an absolutely superb team move as well.
13:05And it was just a joy to watch kind of the one-touch passing,
13:09the little flick from Nolos and Liam Kelly with the assist.
13:13And Liam Kelly, for me, was a standout in the first leg,
13:16and he just followed that up again in the second leg.
13:19And there's just so much quality in this team.
13:21And I suppose just the worry is that now that they've had this acclaim
13:25and been on the TV, I think other clubs are going to take notice
13:29in the higher leagues.
13:30But I think you can definitely see that the quality of the players
13:33that Corby have.
13:34They could be playing in even the Championship, some of them,
13:37kind of the high end of League One.
13:39So hopefully Corby can keep hold of them and tie some of them down
13:43to longer-term contracts because they really have just showed
13:46what they're all about and really done it on the big stage
13:49when it matters the most.
13:50And hopefully they can do it again at Wembley.
13:53I can't see why they can't really.
13:55Playing like they were at MK Dons, they could beat anyone.
14:00Sorry, I just wanted to mention Jay Williams as well.
14:03He's only scored one goal all year, and then he scores
14:05in each leg of the playoffs.
14:07And he was absolutely brilliant.
14:09But what impressed me, because he's obviously had his disciplinary issues
14:13this year with the amount of bookings he's picked up,
14:16and Scott Lindsay said a few times he's crossed the line
14:18a little bit more than he'd like him to.
14:20He loves how he plays, Scott Lindsay, but he just wants him
14:23to hold back a couple of times.
14:24But there was that incident where Max Dean stamped on him,
14:27and I can say that because the replay showed him
14:30if there was a VAI, he would have been sent off in a second.
14:32Maybe Jay Williams at the beginning of the season
14:35might have had that happen quite early in the game.
14:38And maybe earlier in the season, he might have reacted a bit more
14:42to it and tried to get revenge.
14:44I might be doing him a huge disservice there.
14:46But I think he's matured so much throughout the season,
14:49and he rightfully got the Players' Player of the Season
14:52at the awards.
14:53He's been absolutely fantastic.
14:55And to score two goals and play that pivotal role,
14:58it was just typical of how Scott Lindsay set up the team.
15:02That first goal, how he pressed in the midfield,
15:05won the tackle, went through and then tackled the ball
15:08into the goal.
15:09But yeah, I think Jay Williams deserves huge credit as well
15:12for his performances over the two legs.
15:14There was a nice line in the post-match interview
15:17I saw with Danilo Orsi, who said that he'd never played
15:19at Wembley but had been there to watch his club Arsenal
15:21in action.
15:22And Mark, I imagine that for many of these players,
15:25I must admit I don't know all the players inside out,
15:27this will probably be the first time they're playing
15:29at Wembley in probably a combination of quite a few
15:31boyhood dreams, I imagine.
15:33Yeah, we spoke to Dion Conroy yesterday.
15:35He hadn't played there.
15:37And actually, I think everyone we'd spoken to
15:40hadn't played there.
15:42I think somebody mentioned to me that Ben Gladwin had,
15:44but obviously he's had a long-term injury
15:46and he won't be playing.
15:48But yeah, it's going to be a huge day for a lot of people.
15:52Dion Conroy said about how he used to go there
15:54and watch games because they used to get tickets
15:56when he was in the Chelsea Academy and stuff,
15:58but he'd never actually played on the pitch.
16:00So it's going to be a huge moment for all of those players.
16:04I mean, we've said it again and again,
16:06Clydie Lollos was playing for Oxford City last year.
16:10Jay Williams was playing for Brackley Town
16:12or Brambley last year.
16:14Just who would have thought that they would be
16:17playing at Wembley in the biggest League Two game
16:20of the season? Incredible. Absolutely incredible.
16:23And finally, Sam, I know we're probably putting you
16:26under a lot of pressure here,
16:28but where will that performance rank amongst Crawley's
16:30all-time greatest performances?
16:32It must be up there, that MK Don's performance.
16:35I can't pick out one that's better, really.
16:37I was discussing with Mark after the game,
16:39I've not seen Crawley score that many goals
16:41and just look so kind of...
16:43He could have scored more.
16:45It was just relentless.
16:47And it was kind of that feeling as well
16:49that everything was going right.
16:50Even when they gave away the penalty,
16:52you just knew he was going to save it.
16:54You kind of had that element, so much confidence,
16:56so much...
16:58Just, yeah, just crazy.
16:59I've never experienced anything like that,
17:01watching Crawley Town for years and years.
17:03I've never seen...
17:04Obviously, you look back on the game at Old Trafford
17:06and they played out the skins that day.
17:08They deserved to win, in all honesty.
17:10They were the best team on the day.
17:12So I think, obviously, the run-up to that FA Cup game,
17:16obviously, that was the biggest in the history
17:19of the club before this.
17:21But I think this has to take top spot now.
17:23I can't look past it.
17:25Yeah, you've got the Leeds match as well, obviously.
17:28Of course, of course.
17:30But this, I think for the magnitude
17:33of what this game meant,
17:35I think you're right,
17:36this has to be the greatest performance.
17:39And even the first leg was maybe in second place
17:41because it was just so dominant
17:43and killed the tie-off in that first leg.
17:45Yeah, I suppose that Leeds match as well,
17:47that's up there, isn't it, last season?
17:49The only shame for that was behind closed doors,
17:51wasn't it?
17:52It's a shame the fans weren't there to see that one
17:54because it was just incredible
17:55when they really did play Leeds off the park
17:57on that day as well.
17:58So, yeah, I think Crawley,
18:00they turn up for the big occasion
18:02when the cameras are on
18:03and they really do show what they're all about
18:05and they've done it yet again.
18:07Hopefully, one more game,
18:09they can get the job done.
18:10Yeah, fingers crossed they can top that performance
18:12in the League Two player final.
18:14Thank you very much, chaps.
18:15In part two,
18:16we will reflect on how Crew Alexandra
18:18got to the player final
18:20and give you some early team news.
18:22We've reflected on how the play-off semis
18:24went for the Reds, Mark,
18:26but how did their play-off final rivals,
18:29Crew Alexandra,
18:30make it to the Wembley showpiece?
18:33Yeah, well, I mean,
18:35no fair play to them
18:36because nobody gave them a hope in hell,
18:38did they?
18:39Even going into the first leg,
18:41Doncaster were the team
18:43to beat in these play-offs.
18:44Everybody just thought,
18:45wow, Doncaster are going to win it
18:47because of the momentum they brought into it.
18:49And then after the first leg,
18:51at Crew, Doncaster won 2-0
18:53and, yeah,
18:55it was even more,
18:56oh, right, that's it,
18:57yep, Doncaster have won it,
18:58kind of thing.
18:59But then, incredible,
19:00on Friday night,
19:01I mean, I must admit,
19:02I completely forgot about it,
19:03just assuming it was a foregone conclusion.
19:05And when,
19:06I think it was Steve Bone of this parish,
19:09he texted me and said,
19:11Crew are through.
19:12And I was like, really?
19:13And I had to look it up.
19:14And, yeah,
19:15it was a nice little Sussex angle in there as well
19:17because Mickie Dimitri scored the first goal
19:19after six minutes.
19:20And then it was a Maxwell-Owen goal
19:22for Doncaster in the 16th minute.
19:24So they got back-level turns within 16 minutes.
19:27And then,
19:28it looks like they just defended after that.
19:30And they only had the two shots on target
19:33the whole game.
19:34And those two shots counted.
19:36So, yeah,
19:38amazing performance from Crew.
19:40And, yeah,
19:41we talk about momentum.
19:42Crawley have obviously got huge momentum
19:44after what they did.
19:45But Crew's tails will be well up.
19:48And, yeah,
19:49as we said before,
19:50they beat Crawley twice this season.
19:51So,
19:52who knows what that,
19:54yeah,
19:55who knows how it's going to go.
19:56But it's going to be a completely different game
19:57to the MK Dons game,
19:58I think.
19:59Yeah,
20:00Mark's mentioned it there,
20:01Sam,
20:02that Crew,
20:03sorry,
20:04have had the better of Crawley this season.
20:05But can we glean anything from these games
20:06going into Sunday?
20:08Sorry, Matt,
20:09can you repeat that one for me?
20:10Yeah,
20:11Mark's mentioned that Crew have taken six points
20:13from Crawley this season.
20:14But can we glean anything from these games
20:16going into Sunday's play-off final?
20:18I don't think so.
20:19I think it's a one-off game.
20:22I think it'll be all about who can
20:23manage the occasion better.
20:25I think if you look at the results
20:26during the league season,
20:27Crew obviously won both of them.
20:29Obviously,
20:30they won 4-2 away at the Broadfield Stadium
20:32in October.
20:34Obviously,
20:35a crazy game,
20:36that one.
20:37And obviously,
20:38they won 1-0 at home in February.
20:41So,
20:42judging by that,
20:43it's a bit worrying for Crawley.
20:44They've lost twice to their opponents
20:46at Wembley.
20:47But,
20:48as I say,
20:49I think that could get you guys out the window.
20:50And I think Crawley have built up
20:51some momentum and form since those games.
20:54But,
20:55yeah,
20:56you can't really look too much at that,
20:57really.
20:58I think,
20:59yeah,
21:00when you look at the Wembley pitch
21:01and how big it is,
21:02and you see,
21:03I think that suits Crawley's style of play
21:05more so than Crew.
21:06I think they face
21:07a lot of good football.
21:08And,
21:09obviously,
21:10as you saw at MP,
21:11at Dons as well,
21:12they've got a really
21:13top-class stadium.
21:14And they
21:15played really well there.
21:16So,
21:17there's a good little bit of
21:18practice,
21:19I guess,
21:20for playing on that kind of pitch.
21:21And,
21:22I think,
21:23yeah,
21:24they're definitely,
21:25I think,
21:26in the best position
21:27with the confidence of coming through
21:28with such a convincing scoreline
21:29and breaking a record in the process.
21:30And,
21:31obviously,
21:32Crew will be well up for it as well.
21:33I think they'll be
21:34just thrilled with the way they went through,
21:36obviously,
21:37after being 2-0 down.
21:38Everyone broke them off.
21:39So,
21:40I think it's all set up to be
21:41a brilliant game.
21:42But,
21:43yeah,
21:44I don't think you can look at
21:45the league results
21:46as any kind of indicator
21:47for how it's going to go,
21:48really.
21:49I think it's
21:50all going to be on how
21:51they handle the occasion on the day
21:52in front of a
21:53huge crowd at Wembley.
21:54And,
21:55who are the key crewmen
21:56to look out for at Wembley,
21:57Sam?
21:58Who could cause
21:59Crawley the most problems?
22:00Well,
22:01I think Miki Dimitri is one
22:02that we've just spoken about.
22:03I think Scott Lindsay has actually said
22:04that he
22:05wanted to sign him
22:06when he was leaving Newport.
22:07And,
22:08he's obviously,
22:09he went to crew
22:10and he's been brilliant for them.
22:11As a defender,
22:12he's such a goal for it as well.
22:13He's scored 10 goals this season.
22:14He's joined second
22:15for the club.
22:16And,
22:17he's just 8 goals behind
22:18Elliot Nevitt,
22:19who
22:20has scored 18 goals.
22:21So,
22:22it's another
22:23real player to
22:24watch out for.
22:25Not as many as Orsi,
22:26though.
22:27Not as many as Orsi.
22:28Not as many as Orsi,
22:29of course.
22:30No,
22:31still behind him,
22:32of course.
22:33Yeah,
22:34he's scored 10 goals.
22:35So,
22:36yeah,
22:37I mean,
22:38they've definitely got goal threats there
22:39that Crawley need to be wary of.
22:40And,
22:41yeah,
22:42obviously,
22:43the crew,
22:44like Crawley,
22:45are there for a reason
22:46at the end of the day.
22:47And,
22:48they can't just be,
22:49to be written off at all.
22:50So,
22:51Crawley are obviously the team
22:52that are making the headlines.
22:53The crew will probably quietly be
22:54confident and prepared for the game
22:55as they go into it.
22:56And,
22:57they definitely have the tools available
22:58to cause some damage for Crawley
22:59on the day.
23:00And,
23:01Crawley,
23:02yeah,
23:03they'll be well prepared for it.
23:04Would have done the homework
23:05and everything crew can,
23:06all the problems crew can cause.
23:08So,
23:09yeah,
23:10it should be a really good game.
23:11What's the mood like in the Crawley camp
23:13ahead of the final?
23:14You spoke to both Scott Lindsay
23:16and Ian Conroy,
23:17as mentioned.
23:18How are they viewing things
23:19ahead of the Wembley game?
23:20Yeah,
23:21I thought they were both really relaxed
23:22yesterday,
23:23actually.
23:24And,
23:25like I said earlier,
23:26I think,
23:27they are downplaying the occasion.
23:28And,
23:29I think,
23:30yes,
23:31of course,
23:32they're very focused
23:33and very prepared.
23:34Yeah,
23:35Scott Lindsay said he,
23:36yeah,
23:37they want to downplay it,
23:38but they,
23:39obviously,
23:40don't want to take away
23:41what the occasion actually is
23:42and means to the players.
23:43So,
23:44but he said,
23:45they've done a lot of tactical stuff
23:46in the last couple of days.
23:47They're really,
23:48yeah,
23:49really focused on,
23:50yeah,
23:51just doing the job
23:52and treating it as another game.
23:53So,
23:54I think,
23:55I mean,
23:56all season,
23:57there's just been this quiet confidence.
23:58I mean,
23:59Danilo Orsi said,
24:00last,
24:01in the press conference
24:02before the first leg,
24:03he was,
24:04he thought about Wembley
24:05after about six or seven games in,
24:07because he realized
24:08this team were doing something.
24:10And,
24:11Dion Conroy said,
24:12he was chatting with the players
24:13quite early on in the season.
24:14Yeah,
24:15we can get to Wembley,
24:16you know?
24:17And,
24:18they've got there.
24:19And,
24:20Scott Lindsay talks about
24:21the law of attraction.
24:22The more you talk about something,
24:23the more something is likely to happen.
24:24And,
24:25he's been encouraging
24:26talking about
24:27getting to Wembley all season.
24:28And,
24:29it's come to fruition.
24:30So,
24:31yeah,
24:32they're well prepared.
24:33They're fully focused.
24:34But,
24:35I think,
24:36yeah,
24:37there's a real excitement there as well
24:38to walk out
24:39in front of 15,000 fans.
24:40I mean,
24:41it's going to be incredible.
24:42Absolutely.
24:43Any injury news to reveal
24:44ahead of the game,
24:45Sam?
24:46How are the Reds stacked?
24:47Yeah,
24:48I think Crawley have got
24:49a clean bill of health,
24:50I think,
24:51going into the game.
24:52I think there's no notable injuries
24:53to report in that sense.
24:54And,
24:55that's a real positive as well.
24:56Crawley managed to keep their players
24:57fit and firing
24:58for a long period of time.
24:59Obviously,
25:00Ben Glavine's obviously missed
25:01extended periods
25:02during the season.
25:03He's obviously not available.
25:04But,
25:05I think,
25:06yeah,
25:07obviously,
25:08they've got such options as well.
25:09I think even Nick Schirruda
25:10is not able to get a start
25:11for a long time.
25:12But,
25:13they've got him,
25:14obviously,
25:15to come in if need be.
25:16But,
25:17I think,
25:18yeah,
25:19I think the problem is
25:20Scotland has found his
25:21kind of perfect
25:22starting XI
25:23that you can trust
25:24and rely on.
25:25He's obviously reluctant
25:26to tweak it too much.
25:27And,
25:28I think,
25:29yeah,
25:30I think there's obviously
25:31lots of options
25:32that Crawley can go with
25:33if they do decide to
25:34change things.
25:35But,
25:36I can't imagine they will.
25:37I think they'll just be
25:38continuing exactly where
25:39they left off
25:40at MK Dons.
25:41And,
25:42will be fit and firing,
25:43ready to go for the
25:44biggest game
25:45in the club's history.
25:46Absolutely.
25:47I understand there have been
25:48plenty of people
25:49wanting to wish Crawley well
25:50going into Sunday's final.
25:51Mark Lee spoke to a pair of
25:52Crawley legends
25:53during the week,
25:54didn't you?
25:55I did, yeah.
25:56I caught up with Matt Tubbs
25:57and Sergio Torres.
25:58Both players,
25:59they played up
26:00in the famous
26:01Old Trafford game
26:02and they were part of
26:03Steve Evans' side
26:04that went up the league
26:05from non-league to
26:06League 2,
26:07then League 1
26:08in successive seasons.
26:09I mean,
26:10Matt Tubbs left
26:11halfway through the
26:12League 2 season
26:13when they got promoted.
26:14But,
26:15yeah,
26:16they were both part of
26:17that amazing squad.
26:18And,
26:19yeah,
26:20they both said
26:21how impressed they have been
26:22with Scott Lindsay
26:23and what the players
26:24have achieved this year.
26:25I mean,
26:26Matt Tubbs,
26:27Sergio Torres
26:28says he watches them
26:29whenever he can.
26:30He lives in
26:31Mallorca now.
26:32He coaches football
26:33over there
26:34and he says
26:35on a Saturday afternoon
26:36he'll watch
26:37all three of his
26:38old teams,
26:39Wickham Wanderers,
26:40Peterborough,
26:41and all that
26:42and Crawley Town.
26:43And he keeps up
26:44with them
26:45to see how
26:46they get on.
26:47But he said
26:48he's been so impressed
26:49and Matt Tubbs
26:50was the same.
26:51But the good news is
26:52Sergio Torres
26:53is going to be at
26:54Wembley on Sunday
26:55and he's a legendary
26:56legend so he's going
26:57to be there
26:58working the
26:59hospitality
27:00and being live
27:01on Sky,
27:02being interviewed
27:03and that.
27:04So he's a great character
27:05Sergio Torres
27:06and it's great
27:07that I've been able
27:08to talk to him.
27:09You can see
27:10my interview with him
27:11on Sussexworld.co.uk.
27:12It's a really good interview
27:13and he's got so much charisma.
27:14He's great to talk to
27:15and,
27:16yeah,
27:17it'll be really good
27:18to see him there.
27:19And hopefully
27:20they can
27:21inspire the team
27:22to pull off
27:23a great victory.
27:24Absolutely.
27:25And he also spoke
27:26to Crawley Cohen
27:27and Preston Johnson
27:28in the week, Mark.
27:29He must be proud
27:30of everyone at the club
27:31for getting this far
27:32and getting to the final.
27:33Absolutely, yeah.
27:34Obviously we all know
27:35it's well documented
27:36the first season
27:37didn't quite go as
27:38Preston Johnson
27:39and Eben Smith
27:40and the rest of Wagmey
27:41had hoped.
27:42And when I spoke to him
27:43I sensed
27:44a bit of emotion
27:45in the voice
27:46kind of thing.
27:47He said
27:48he realised
27:49there was the joy
27:50back in the
27:51Crawley Town fans
27:52after the Grimsby game
27:53when the fans
27:54invaded the pitch
27:55they were all singing
27:56Preston Johnson
27:57was stood behind
27:58Scott Lindsay
27:59and the players
28:00in the stand
28:01as they were all
28:02chanting and that.
28:03And I think he said
28:04that's when he realised
28:05the fans have got joy
28:06in their club again.
28:07I mean,
28:08a lot of the fans
28:09have had joy
28:10most of the season.
28:11But,
28:12he,
28:13yeah,
28:14Preston Johnson
28:15feels responsible
28:16for what went wrong
28:17last year
28:18and for the fans
28:19not enjoying
28:20Crawley Town
28:21not enjoying
28:22Crawley Town
28:23football club.
28:24So,
28:25to have that turn around
28:26for him
28:27he's got to be
28:28at peace of mind now.
28:29And,
28:30I think they deserve credit
28:31Preston Johnson
28:32mainly for
28:33going more
28:34in the background
28:35given that.
28:36I mean,
28:37last year
28:38I think I was probably
28:39seen as a little bit
28:40of a Wagmey apologist.
28:41I wasn't
28:42overly critical
28:43of them.
28:44They made some
28:45huge mistakes
28:46and they know that
28:47and they've admitted that.
28:48Yeah,
28:49they made some
28:50mistakes
28:51but,
28:52this year
28:53they've backed Scott Lindsay
28:54they've let Scott Lindsay
28:55get on with it.
28:56They've stayed in the background
28:57and look what it's achieved.
28:58So,
28:59you've got to give them
29:00some credit there as well.
29:01And,
29:02yeah,
29:03he's very excited
29:04about the game.
29:05They will all be there
29:06on Sunday.
29:07And,
29:08yeah,
29:09he just said that
29:10everyone at this point
29:11of the season now
29:12is giving everyone else credit.
29:13But,
29:14he said Scott Lindsay
29:15deserves a ton of credit
29:16but everyone else
29:17at the club
29:18there's such a
29:19circle around the club
29:20and everybody
29:21supports each other.
29:22Everyone backs each other
29:23and,
29:24hopefully,
29:25that will
29:26be
29:27what inspires
29:28this Crawley team
29:29to win on Sunday.
29:30Yeah,
29:31you mentioned
29:32the change
29:33in the past season.
29:34What would you say
29:35has been the biggest change
29:36between last season
29:37and this season?
29:38What has changed,
29:39what has brought about
29:40that change
29:41do you think?
29:42I don't know really.
29:43I can't,
29:44I don't think there's one
29:45specific thing.
29:46The main,
29:47I suppose the main thing is
29:48Scott Lindsay
29:49do what he wants to do.
29:50He was allowed
29:51to clear out
29:52what was,
29:53who were seen as
29:54key players.
29:55The likes of
29:56Ashley Nadeson,
29:57I mean Tom Nicholls
29:58left before
29:59that,
30:00before Lindsay came.
30:01But,
30:02Glenn Morris,
30:03et cetera,
30:04Tony Craig,
30:05George Francombe,
30:06all these senior players
30:07that fans loved
30:08all left
30:09and
30:10they backed
30:11Scott Lindsay.
30:12They gave him all the data.
30:13These are all the players
30:14we think from non-league
30:15that can do well.
30:16And then they let
30:17Scott Lindsay say
30:18right,
30:19okay,
30:20I've looked at them.
30:21This is who I want.
30:22And look,
30:23and yeah,
30:24you only have to look
30:25at what's happening now
30:26to know that they got it
30:27absolutely right.
30:28So I think the fact that
30:29they've just
30:30backed him so much
30:31and I think the fact that
30:32they have
30:33stayed in the background
30:34and not been public,
30:35I think that has had a huge,
30:36because,
30:37because it hasn't been
30:38a distraction.
30:39The fans found them
30:40a distraction last season
30:41and they haven't been
30:42a distraction at all.
30:43And yeah,
30:44I think that is probably
30:45the,
30:46the best thing about
30:47having Scott Lindsay
30:48do what he needed to do
30:49and not being a distraction.
30:50Well,
30:51over 15,000 Reds
30:52are expected to be
30:53at Wembley this year
30:54on Crawley at Wembley.
30:55And the supporters
30:56have really turned up
30:57to show their support,
30:58haven't they, Sam?
30:59It's amazing numbers,
31:00isn't it?
31:01The amount of tickets
31:02they've sold so far.
31:03Yeah,
31:04absolutely.
31:05An unprecedented
31:06number of tickets,
31:07really.
31:08And obviously,
31:09these kind of occasions
31:10are obviously going to attract
31:11maybe fans of Crawley
31:12that haven't been there
31:13for a few years,
31:14maybe,
31:15maybe haven't watched them
31:16for a while.
31:17And obviously,
31:18if you're going to
31:19Wembley there,
31:20they're going to be
31:21obviously attracted
31:22for that reason.
31:23And I suppose
31:24some people might argue
31:25it's kind of
31:26the wrong mentality
31:27to only go when
31:28these kind of games
31:29come up.
31:30But at the end of the day,
31:31the more fans
31:32in the stadium,
31:33the better it is
31:34for the club,
31:35really,
31:36and to get that
31:37level of exposure
31:38and support behind them
31:39on such a huge,
31:40huge occasion
31:41can only help,
31:42really.
31:43I think it's just fantastic
31:44as well.
31:45And,
31:46yeah,
31:47just really,
31:48really exciting,
31:49really.
31:50I suppose there's so much
31:51optimism and excitement
31:52building around the club
31:53and the game,
31:54so it can't come
31:55quick enough,
31:56I'm sure,
31:57for the players.
31:58I'm just wondering
31:59how they're kind of
32:00feeling ahead of it,
32:01really,
32:02because they probably
32:03can't believe it either.
32:04So,
32:05yes,
32:06obviously,
32:07a lot of excitement
32:08and,
32:09yeah,
32:10I think Scotland's
32:11probably got a job
32:12in his hands
32:13and can remain
32:14level-headed as well
32:15and just get the job
32:16done as they
32:17happen to do.
32:18Right,
32:19moving on to the game
32:20itself,
32:21then,
32:22Mark,
32:23how do you see the
32:24game going
32:25and what is your
32:26score prediction?
32:27It will be a tight
32:28game,
32:29as these affairs
32:30always are,
32:31although we said
32:32that about the
32:33play-off semi-final.
32:34So,
32:35I think Crawley
32:36have got enough.
32:37I think,
32:38yeah,
32:39I think there's just
32:40so much confidence
32:41in that side
32:42that if we get
32:43to Wembley,
32:44that pitch,
32:45the way we play
32:46on that pitch,
32:47it will suit us
32:48down to the ground.
32:49So,
32:50I see Crawley winning
32:51and I think it will
32:52be two or three-one
32:53and I'd love to see
32:54Clydie Lollos just
32:55score a worldy
32:56top corner at
32:57Wembley.
32:58Can you imagine
32:59what the scenes
33:00would be like if he
33:01does?
33:02Because he is
33:03responsible for
33:04geeing up the fans
33:05a lot during games
33:06and that.
33:07He absolutely
33:08loves it
33:09and I'd love to
33:10see him score
33:11in excess of
33:1215,000 fans.
33:13So,
33:14yeah,
33:15I won't go vague.
33:16I'm going to go
33:17three-one.
33:18Three-one Crawley.
33:19And Sam Morton,
33:20same question to you.
33:21How do you see the game
33:22panning out and what's
33:23your score prediction?
33:24Yeah,
33:25Mark took the words
33:26out of my mouth
33:27that I was going to
33:28say three-one.
33:29Three-one to Crawley.
33:30I think they're definitely
33:31in the best position
33:32going into it.
33:33Aussies in the goals
33:34and,
33:35as Mark said,
33:36Lollos as well
33:37has been in such
33:38great form
33:39and just
33:40a little flick
33:41for the goal
33:42at MK.
33:43He's just
33:44a class
33:45player.
33:46I think one that
33:47hopefully will be able
33:48to keep hold of
33:49for the foreseeable.
33:50And Liam Kelly
33:51will be so crucial
33:52as I mentioned
33:53before really.
33:54He's been
33:55absolutely phenomenal
33:56for Crawley
33:57and especially
33:58that first leg
33:59against MPD.
34:00He just absolutely
34:01ran the show.
34:02So,
34:03hopefully he can do
34:04the same thing again.
34:05I'm confident
34:06they will.
34:07They'll be at their best
34:08and they'll win
34:09for sure.
34:10Thank you.
34:11Thank you.
34:12Thank you.
34:13Thank you.
34:14Thank you.
34:15Thank you.
34:16Thank you.
34:17Thank you.
34:18Thank you.
34:19Thank you.
34:20Thank you.
34:21Thank you.
34:22Thank you.
34:23Thank you.
34:24Thank you.
34:25Thank you.
34:26Thank you.
34:27Thank you.
34:28Thank you.
34:29Thank you.
34:30Thank you.
34:31Thank you.
34:32Thank you.
34:33Thank you.
34:34Thank you.
34:35Thank you.
34:36Thank you.
34:37Thank you.