Crawley were many people’s favourites to be relegated to the National League this term.
But the Sussex club qualified for the play-offs with a 2-0 win over Grimsby at Broadfield Stadium on the final day of the season.
They went into the final having lost home and away to Crewe in the league but comfortably beat the Cheshire side at Wembley.
Of the team that played in the final, only captain Dion Conroy and goalkeeper Corey Addai had been at the club beyond last summer.
And nine players – Laurence Maguire, Klaidi Lolos, Jeremy Kelly, Jay Williams, Adam Campbell, Ryan Sandford, Jack Roles, Joy Mukena and Ade Ademeyo – were playing non-league football last season.
Orsi and fellow final-scorer Liam Kelly were recruited from Grimsby and Rochdale, and Lindsey credited the players for implementing his tactics so quickly.
“The players were probably looking around going ‘we’ve signed him [Ademeyo] from Cray Valley Paper Mills, we’ve signed him [Lolos] from Oxford City, we’ve signed him [Williams] from Brackley Town’ – the players probably didn’t think [we could win promotion] straight away but once we started getting on the pitch and coaching the life out of them [they did].
“I’ve given them a lot of information in detail and they’ve taken it on and executed it fantastically well all season,” Lindsey said.
“We’ve not always got it right, but that’s football and I’m really proud of them.”
