Lindsey remarked, “It’s not a miracle that we’ve gone from 22nd last season to promotion, just hard work. Because of past experiences in my life where I’ve lost loved ones and people really close to me, I understand that life’s really short. While some people would look at finishing 22nd last year and think that this year is about consolidation, not me. Life’s too short to consolidate. I want to make a difference.”

Reflecting on the journey, Lindsey credited his family for their support despite his intense focus on his work. “I thought about my family before the match today in the coaches’ office in the dressing room. Sometimes I fail as a partner and a dad because I work so hard. I come home, we have dinner together and there are nine of us around the dinner table, because I’ve got a lot of children. They’re eating dinner and chatting and I’m looking at a tactics board. So I’m really grateful to them.”

Lindsey also praised his players, particularly highlighting those who were playing non-league football the previous year. “It’s the players who did it. There were nine players in the squad today who were playing non-league football last year. They have taken things on and executed them fantastically well all season. We haven’t always got it right, but we have today. We just looked so good on the big Wembley pitch. So composed on the ball but aggressive without it. It was just ridiculous.”

The victory saw Danilo Orsi score just before half-time and Liam Kelly secure the win with five minutes remaining. Crewe manager Lee Bell acknowledged the superiority of Crawley on the day and cited his team’s injuries and small squad as challenges. Bell stated, “We didn’t get going and struggled to create anything. Congratulations to Scott and Crawley. I thought they were worthy winners on the day. It’s been a real stretch for my players, a real stretch because we’ve got one of the smallest squads.”

Looking ahead, Bell emphasized the importance of retaining the current squad despite the challenges. “It’s hard to say right now whether this will affect us next season because we’re all hurting, even if we put a brave face on. The main objective for the club now is to try and keep this squad together. We’ve got a lot of out-of-contract players, but knowing the players, if we can keep it all together, they’ll be back chomping at the bit ready to go next season.”

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