Former AFC Wimbledon, MK Dons and Grimsby Town striker has 'unfinished business' at Crawley Town

Orsi was the first goalscorer in the Reds’ historic 2-0 win over Crewe Alexandra at Wembley Stadium to clinch promotion to League One in the 2023-24 season. The 29-year-old scored 19 goals in 45 appearances during his first stint with the Reds before joining Burton Albion.

A loan move (with an option to buy) to Milton Keynes Dons followed, but Orsi returned to Burton and was then signed by Wimbledon at the start of this season.

Back at the Reds for a second time, the striker can’t wait to get started again.

“Listen, I think my smile says it all,” he said. “Back to a club I’ve got so many good memories from that year we had here just a couple years ago now.

“And just happy to be back with the gaffer, back with these fans and back at a place that feels like home.”

Orsi didn’t get the chance to feature for the Reds in League One, an opportunity he feels passed him by.

He said: “Definitely, I didn’t wanna leave that summer – I think that was known. But, again, that’s football for you. Stuff comes up and circumstances change, and just to be back here now – like you said, unfinished business.

“I think I said it when I left, that I was disappointed that group didn’t get the chance to give League One a real go together. And, I think, experiencing League One the last couple of seasons, I still stand by that and still think we could’ve achieved something in League One.

“I wanna help the club get back out of this position they’re in at the moment and then look to the future because I think it’s a really exciting time to be part of this club.”

The Englishman is keen to link back up with Lindsey after the success of two seasons ago.

Orsi said: “I think, obviously you see when I signed for the other club and Scott was the manager there, I think we only lasted three weeks together there. So, that kind of ruined my time there a bit.

“Everyone can see what he achieved here just 18 months ago and I wanna be able to work under him again because the way he sees me, and the way I fit into his style is a perfect match.

“I’m really looking forward to working with him and the rest of the coaching staff again and, hopefully, we’ll have many more good memories with the club and all the fans out there.”

The striker confirmed that he and the Reds’ boss have remained in contact after he left the club.

“Yeah, I’ve kept in touch with him anyway, just because of what we’ve achieved together and what he’s done for me in my career.

“So, when he first rang, I thought maybe it was just a catch up and, see how I was getting on. Once, the words were said it was a no-brainer for me and I’m just glad the club could get it agreed with Wimbledon and we could make this happen so quickly.”

There’s always a risk looking to past glory for success in the present, but Orsi is confident this is the right move for him and the club.

“They say never go back and I can’t lie if I say it didn’t cross my mind, because I thought scoring at Wembley’s the perfect way to end my Crawley career at the time.

“But the more I thought about it, I thought let’s go and do it again. Let’s go and create more memories at that club – the club where I like the way we play football.

“After hearing what the new ownership have got planned for the club, I think it’s a really exciting time to be part of it and yeah, why not. Let’s see what we can achieve.”

Crawley sit just two points above the League Two relegation zone and are winless in over two months.

Orsi said: “We can’t hide away from the position the club’s in at the moment. But we can make sure we get ourselves out of it and then look to the future at that point.

“Again, I know what the gaffer’s gonna be saying, that it’s the next game and we’re gonna take it day-by-day. So, let’s get ourselves out of this position first before we start looking too far into the future.”

The striker is familiar with much of the current Reds squad and hopes they can bring the best out of him.

“I know what the gaffer wants and his style of play, and the way the club’s been playing this year,” he said. “Obviously, watch games, seen highlights, still keep in touch with a few of the boys and even boys who’ve come here like Gav (Gavin Holohan) and Baj (Geraldo Bajrami) who I’ve played with at other clubs.

“I know that it’s a good group of boys here and I just wanna get back playing my football, playing with a smile on my face again and I know that once that starts to happen my best performances will come out again and I’ll be able to show everyone why I was a success last time and, obviously help the club get out of this position.”

A fan-favourite during his first stint, Orsi is looking forward to hearing his name sung by the Reds supporters.

“Massive, missed the song. Let’s start with that – I've missed that song. Can’t wait to hear it, still get messages on Twitter, Instagram. Even now, where I’m only living quite locally still, I’ve had people stop me and say why don’t you come back to Crawley.

“I’ve said: ‘Look, one day, who knows – we'll see what happens.’ But, now I think you can tell how excited I am – the smile on my face.

“I’m raring to get back out in front of them and repay the faith that they’ve showed me, and hopefully we can create more memories together.”

Reds fans will hope to see Orsi’s trademark celebration back at the Broadfield Stadium as soon as possible, but he his priority remains helping the club climb the table.

“That’s definitely gonna come back, but first and foremost, the main thing is to start winning games, get ourselves out of this position and then we can start looking forward to the future and hopefully, that celebration comes out a few more times.”