Coaches’ Voice | Scott Lindsey: How my Crawley team achieved a record-breaking promotion

When Scott Lindsey led Crawley Town to promotion to League One in 2024, he oversaw a record EFL play-off victory. That was impressive enough, but the style in which his team beat MK Dons 8-1 and then beat favourites Crewe Alexandra at Wembley was truly special.

That they managed to do this with a team that included several players signed on free transfers from the amateur leagues was a credit to Lindsey and his coaching staff, who had engineered a major turnaround at the club. After taking the reins at Crawley in January 2023 when the club were 21st in League Two, he kept the club in the league and then began to rebuild the team, implementing a style of play that would not be out of place in the higher echelons of English football.

In this exclusive Coaches’ Voice masterclass, Lindsey reveals the bold but effective tactics he used in the play-off semi-final against MK Dons. Using the iconic CV tactics board, he explains the aggressive out-of-possession approach that underpinned Crawley’s stunning semi-final victories, as well as the attacking patterns that led to 3-0 and 5-1 home and away wins.

He then talks about the tactical changes that allowed Crawley to stay true to their principles in the final against Crewe, while making the necessary adjustments to face a different type of opposition – tactics that ultimately helped his team to a 2-0 win at Wembley and a promotion that, while against all odds, was fully deserved.

Author: Craig Bloomfield