Crawley Town manager Scott Lindsey has sent out a rather clear message to the teams around them about the position that they are currently in, after picking up a very important point against Stockport County on Monday night.
Despite going 1-0 down midway through the second half, Crawley would fight back and a late Klaidi Lolos strike would mean that the points would be shared. It was a positive performance from the Red Devils at home as they further displayed their play-off credentials in front of the TV cameras.
Given that Stockport sit in second in the League Two table, plenty of positives can be taken from the result and being the second-highest scorers in the league, Crawley’s defence performed admirably to limit them to only a few opportunities.
The Sussex based side have now conceded just six goals in their last nine matches and that strong defence has got them through multiple games recently. They are by no means one of the most exciting teams in the forward areas in the league but that doesn’t matter at this stage of the season as they continue to pick up points.
Moving up to ninth in the table, Scott Lindsey will definitely be eyeing a place in the play-offs and believes that his side have a great chance of doing just that. Sat one point behind AFC Wimbledon who operate in seventh, the final play-off spot, Crawley also significantly have two games in hand on the Dons and will be eyeing that spot up.
Making those games in hand count would put them in a great position and based off of recent performances, you’d expect them to do just that.
Speaking to the Sussex Express after the draw with Stockport, Lindsey emphasised the strong position that he and his side find themselves in currently.
“If you look at the league table, Morcambe getting beat [at Salford] yesterday, the gods were shining on us with results over the weekend.
“It’s a positive point tonight (Monday). Out of all the teams, we are probably in the best position of getting the play offs.”
Lindsey was impressed by the performance that his players put out, but insisted that improvements can still be made.
“I felt we were very good in the first half and not so good in the second half. I know we had glimpses when we got in their half of the pitch and we attacked quite well but we didn’t do it enough – especially in that second half.
“We couldn’t get out as well in the second half. They pressed against us. We couldn’t seem to get out but when we did, we found spaces and felt we could hurt them.”
“They’re second place for a reason, I was really proud of my players overall. It’s a good point against a good side, I’m pleased.”
Writer’s View
The point against Stockport on Monday night signifies the direction that Crawley are currently going in. They’ve already surpassed all pre-season expectations but will want to finish the season strongly and get a place in the play-offs.
Based on recent results as well as their games in hand, there is no reason as to why Crawley can’t do just that. They do have some tough games in the run-in but have proved they can go toe-to-toe with the league’s best sides. If they do make the play-offs, then Scott Lindsey could well be in the League Two Manager of the Season conversation.