Crawley Town midfielder says there's a lot to be hopeful for next season

When Lindsey returned as manager, Crawley were 12 points away from safety and had nine games left to play. Since then, the Reds have picked up 16 points out of a possible 27 and closed that 12-point gap to just one after a 2-1 win over Shrewsbury Town on the final day.

Despite being unable to beat the drop, Kelly was full of praise for his manager and has enjoyed working under him since his return to the club.

“It’s tough whenever you switch managers for personal reasons, but we all know what Scott [Lindsey] brings, and I think everybody could tell that there was a difference since he’s come in.

“Scott just has a connection with this club and us as players, and he gets us going; he has a charisma about him, he has authority, and he’s tactically very good.”

For long parts of this season, Crawley fans have been visibly frustrated with their team’s performances, but Lindsey’s return has helped restore some much-needed belief back into the club, according to Kelly.

“It’s been fun,” he said. “Even though we were close to getting relegated, ever since he came in, it never felt like we were going to go down, and we always believed up until last weekend. That’s something special and something only he can bring to this club.

“When he’s in charge, you’ve got every chance. Some people were saying last year we got a little bit lucky, but we deserved it, and I think this year has shown that we should have stayed up. Next year we’ll give it a good go, and there’s a lot to be hopeful for with Crawley Town.”

Despite relegation, it has been an impressive season for the midfielder who ended the season with three goals and three assists and picked up the Crawley Observer player of the season award.

Kelly has cherished playing in League One and reflected on the unique experience, explaining how challenging it was to adapt to a higher division.

“I think anytime you go up a league you wonder what it's like and until you play a few games and get settled you don't really know if you belong there.

“I think we showed pretty quickly that we belonged and in the first three or four games we won our first two and we should have won a few more so that kind of settled the nerves and we knew we belonged.”

The Reds have come up against some high-profile opponents this season, including Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion and League One champions Birmingham City, which has left Kelly with lasting memories.

“Personally, it's been fun to play some of these bigger teams like Birmingham and they have been special occasions. It’s been a special year playing at the Amex and some really hallowed grounds of English football, so I've had a blast this year.

“It hasn't always gone the way we wanted it to but I've enjoyed playing with these lads and playing with Scott and his whole backroom staff. I couldn't have imagined this happening; getting promoted and then playing at some of the grounds and with some of the players I played with so it's been a really special experience.”