With Scott Lindsey gone, Crawley Town's owners have no time to waste - and they need an instant impact

Those were the words of Scott Lindsey 11 days ago. As it transpired, it took just three games for the 53-year-old's warnings to be realised as Crawley Town announced his departure from the club.

The news broke late on Sunday night after the Reds’ 20th defeat of the season at Fleetwood Town – a result that extended their winless run to 10 matches. Alongside assistant Neil Smith, he leaves the club sitting 21st in League Two - almost exactly a year on from his reappointment.

The search for a new manager has already begun, but owner Raphel Khalili has no time to waste. With just seven games left of the season, Crawley need an instant impact to save their EFL status.

Throughout this turbulent campaign, the message from managerial and playing staff has been that Crawley should not be where they are in the table, blaming poor refereeing, the missing of gilt-edged chances and countless injuries for their current position.

While there is weight behind those excuses, the numbers behind this season make for grim reading. The Reds have won the fewest games of all League Two sides, with just six victories and only two since the middle of November.

When you look at the teams they’ve beaten, all sit in the bottom half of the table. Harrogate Town twice (23rd), Barrow (24th), Fleetwood Town (13th), Bristol Rovers (17th) and Cheltenham Town (18th) are the only teams Lindsey’s side have seen off this season. Both Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers had a player sent off in those games - meaning the Reds have won just four games against 11-men.

The side’s form just hasn’t picked up, even after the mass overhaul of the squad in January. After bringing in 13 new players and offloading many who were deemed surplus to requirements, the Reds saw an initial upturn in fortunes that quickly petered out. A hope of a quick fix to their relegation fears faded almost instantly.

While defensive reinforcements Kellan Gordon, Theo Vassell and keeper Jacob Chapman have impressed, the returning attacking threats Danilo Orsi, Klaidi Lolos and Ronan Darcy have all struggled to recapture the spark that fired Crawley to promotion in their first stints.

There lies the biggest issue of this season – they simply haven’t found the back of the net enough. Only Harrogate Town have scored fewer than the Reds’ 36 goals in League Two, with just four goals in this winless run of 10.

On numerous occasions this campaign, Lindsey has clashed with fans who have questioned his decision making. He has called out vocal fans at the Broadfield Stadium and away from it, most notably last week against Barnet when he turned to the crowd, cupped his ears and shouted ‘what about Orsi’ after many had called for the striker to be dropped before his first goal in 13 games.

The relationship between coach and supporters was beginning to strain towards breaking point as many grew frustrated by the lack of progress and Lindsey’s positive spin on certain performances in his post-match interviews. It did feel that whether the Reds stayed up or not, Lindsey’s position at the helm would have been untenable going into next season.

Despite the disappointment of this campaign, supporters will always hold Lindsey in high regard for his past exploits. The promotion-winning campaign of 2023-24 and a first trip to Wembley Stadium gave Reds fans memories to last a lifetime.

Personally, Lindsey was always generous with his time when speaking to the press and didn’t shy away from an opinion. His passion for the club and the sport was clear every time he spoke to us. I wish him well in whatever he does next.