Crawley Town 2-0 Crewe Alexandra: FLW report as Red Devils promoted on first Wembley visit | OneFootball

Crawley Town have been promoted to League One for just the second time in their history after their first Wembley visit ended in a 2-0 League Two play-off final victory over Crewe Alexandra.

Danilo Orsi gave the Red Devils a deserved lead four minutes before the break and then Liam Kelly, who was the best player on the pitch, wrapped it up with a second inside the final 10 minutes.

It caps off a remarkable season for Scott Lindsey's side, who were tipped by many as favourites for relegation to the National League before a ball was kicked but will be playing League One football next season for the first time since 2014/15.

Crawley Town 2-0 Crewe Alexandra

Crawley's sky-high confidence – no doubt a product of their 8-1 play-off semi-final victory over favourites MK Dons – was clear from kick-off as they dominated possession and controlled the tempo.

Kelly has been their key cog in 2023/24 and the diminutive midfielder was certainly not overawed by the Wembley stage. He looked the most likely to make the breakthrough – firing over from outside the box in the 16th minute and then, not long after, putting a weak effort right at Max Styjek after the sort of slick passing move that Lindsey's side have become known for this term.

Crewe were an expansive side themselves in the first half of the season but due to injuries and poor form, have taken a much more pragmatic approach in recent weeks, and they were happy to soak up pressure as the half wore on, waiting for an opportunity to strike in transition.

Crawley had the highest expected goals against (xGA) from open play in League Two in 2023/24, which suggested the chances would come for Alex, but giving their opponents time to play is a risky game – something they were reminded of when Klaidi Lolos dragged his shot just before the half-hour mark.

Elliott Nevitt's goals have been pivotal this season for Crewe and after a quiet start, the 27-year-old came to life with 10 minutes left of the half as he bulldozed past a Crawley defender and forced a diving save out of Corey Addai.

Alex were finishing the half dangerously but it was Crawley that landed the first play-off final blow three minutes before the break. A brilliant combination between Kelly and Orsi allowed the striker some space at the top of the box and he wiggled free of his defender before poking a finish into the bottom corner, leaving Stryjek helpless.

Though the lead at the break was only one goal, Crewe needed to raise their levels in the second half to battle back into the game and it looked as though they'd been handed a golden chance to do just that within minutes of the restart when they were awarded a penalty.

Chris Long had gone to ground as he attempted to round Addai after a terrible back pass from Adam Campbell but replays clearly showed that the Crawley keeper had got a toe to the ball and the decision was overturned – much to the relief of the Red Devils support.

Disaster averted and normal service resumed, with Lindsey's side back in the ascendancy as the hour passed, and Crewe's best hope seeming most likely to come from a defensive mistake.

Indeed, if any team were going to add a second then it looked as though it would be Crawley and Kelly went close 12 minutes from time, dancing free before seeing a powerful long-range strike pushed wide.

Crewe's chance finally came 10 minutes before the end and it fell to the right player in goalscoring defender Mickey Demetriou but his close-range header was held by Addai and within moments Crawley had doubled their lead to kill the game. Dion Conroy picked out Kelly in space on the left and he drove into the box, seeing his attempted cross blocked and then sliding the rebound into an empty net.

10 minutes of stoppage time offered Crewe a glimmer of hope but the damage was already done and they couldn't muster anything of note to change the tide.

The final whistle brought the conclusion of a remarkable season for Crawley, who have gone from relegation favourites to play-off final winners and secured a return to League One after nearly a decade away.

Alex, meanwhile, are moving in the right direction under Bell but will need a little time for their Wembley wounds to heal.

FULL TIME: CRAWLEY TOWN 2-0 CREWE ALEXANDRA

Crawley Town player ratings

Corey Addai - 8

Will Wright - 7

Dion Conroy - 8

Laurence Maguire - 7

Kellan Gordon - 7 (Ade Adeyemo (65) - 6)

Jay Williams - 6

Liam Kelly - 9

Jeremy Kelly - 7 (Nick Tsaroulla (93) - 6)

Klaidi Lolos - 7 (Jack Roles (93) - 6)

Adam Campbell - 6 (Ronan Darcy (55) - 6)

Danilo Orsi - 8

Unused subs: Ryan Sandford, Harry Ransom, Ronan Darcy, Jack Roles, Joy Mukena

Crewe Alexandra player ratings

Max Stryjek - 7

Lewis Billington - 6 (Matus Holicek (81) - 6)

Mickey Demetriou - 6

Ed Turns - 6

Rio Adebisi - 6

Conor Thomas - 7 (Josh Austerfield (65) - 6)

Chris Long - 6 (Charlie Kirk (74) - 6)

Joel Tabiner - 6 (Lewis Leigh (74) - 6)

Shilow Tracey - 6

Aaron Rowe - 5

Elliott Nevitt - 6

Unused subs: Ryan Cooney, Courtney Baker-Richardson, Lewis Leigh, Charlie Finney, Josh Austerfield, Charlie Kirk

Attendance

The attendance for the League Two play-off final between Crawley Town and Crewe Alexandra was 33.341.

Scott Lindsey post-match reaction

Lindsey heaped praise on his side and their performance after the game.

"Delighted," he said. "That was some effort. Really proud. Really proud to lead this magnificent club out at Wembley first and foremost but there is no point coming here if you're not going to win. I've said that to the players all week and they were unbelievable, they were class. They have been all season. I'm immensely proud."

"We got it right today. They've been class. I think there were nine players in the squad today that were playing non league football last year, that's unbelievable. It's not about me, it's about them. I've given them the information and I've given them a lot of information in detail but they've taken it on and executed it all season. We've not always got it right but that's football. I'm so proud of the players."

He added: "It's not a miracle. It's just hard work. Because of past experiences in my life where I have lost loved ones really close to me, I understand that life is really short. Whilst somebody who got nearly relegated last season would probably sit there and think: 'Right consolidate this year'. That's not a word I would ever want in my vocabulary, consolidation, because I think life is too short to consolidate. What I'm trying to say is that I want to go for it every moment that I'm here and let's see where it takes you."

Lee Bell post-match reaction

Speaking after the game, a disappointed Bell admitted his side never got going.

He said: "We're not going to come here and flick a switch against a Crawley, possession-based team. It's been a stretch for my player, a real stretch. I'm ever so proud of them, where they've got to, and bitterly disappointed for them as individuals and my staff. I couldn't ask for better people.

"We really struggled to get going and create anything. Full credit to them. Congratulations to the team, Crawley, their fans, Scott. I thought they were worthy winners on the day and we can't have any complaints."

Bell added: "It's a stretch for the players, we've got one of the smallest squads, I think we've got 18 players, we've got a few out injured and for what they've achieved, for how they've kept on going the last 12 or 13 games has been a real credit. They're a credit to the football club. In my first full year in football as a manager, I couldn't ask for a better group of people."