Crawley Town F.C.

Crawley Town ( officially: Crawley Town Football Club ) - also known as Red Devils or The Reds - is an English football club based in the nearby town of Crawley in West Sussex. Founded in 1896, the club played a long time in amateur and semi-professional leagues until he after winning the fifth league championship in 2011 in his story for the game operation of the Football League for the first time - particularly for fourth-rate Football League Two - qualified. The team wears their home games since 1997 in nearly 6,000 -seat Checkatrade.com stage.

History

Founding years and the Southern League (1896-2004)

After the founding in 1896 Crawley Town played for five years in the West Sussex League before it took his club in the Mid Sussex League. For the second year we won there the first title in the club's history and almost half a century remained the Red Devils in this league before 1951 followed the step in the Sussex County League. Another five years later Crawley Town joined the Metropolitan League, the professional and amateur clubs as it stood open, and won this in 1959 - even as an amateur club; only three years later, the official Profifstatus.

From 1963 Crawley Town was then represented in the Southern League and played in the next 20 years, mostly in the second class Division One and in their Südklasse from 1971. Sole exception and so far greatest success was the participation in the season 1969/70 in the Premier Division of the Southern League, from the Crawley Town but post haste dismounted again. Only by winning the vice-championship under coach John Maggs in the season 1983/84 led the club a significant sporting development in the Premier Division. There, the club spent the next 20 years and also in the national FA Cup for the first time he made in the 1991/92 season with the first attainment of the third main round and a win against the third division Northampton Town 's attention. While there, the local rivals Brighton & Hove Albion proved too large for the 0:5 defeat as a number, more than 18,000 spectators who attended this first major event.

The next milestone was in 1997 the last game in the stadium Town Mead, who had served the club since 1949 as a home ground. The Association moved for the new Broadfield Stadium. A next turning point was 1999, when the reign of Maggs, who had the club served as goalkeeper coach and president more than 30 years ended. The end was overshadowed by a two-month bankruptcy process, but financially gesundet from the Crawley Town with the new owner John Duly something came out. Under the new, young coach Francis Vines, who took over the responsibility from January 2003, it went up also sporty and at the end of the 2003/ 04 won the " Reds " with twelve points behind the championship. This in turn also made promotion to the Conference National fifth rate safely.

The first years in the Conference National ( 2004-07 )

In a respectable first season, 2004/ 05 Crawley Town was the best exclusively stocked with part -time professional team of the Conference National and a " team of the moment ", which was also shown for the first time in club history live on national television, they fought long does a Play -off place for promotion to the Football League Two. However, the benefits were clear by the end and the club finished in twelfth place. With the entry of the new owner SA Group in 2005 Crawley Town led the Vollzeitprofitum one, but sporty little impact, because the club quickly found himself in a relegation battle again. In November 2005, then took over from the former Chelsea player and coach John Hollins Vines and despite severe financial difficulties, which led to a 50% pay cut for all players and coaches as well as the disposal of a number of key players in March 2006, achieved with a series of five victories in April 2006 to avoid relegation. Nevertheless, the club was almost two months later just before the off, since a liquidity shortfall of £ 1.4 million could not be closed. After two failed compromise proposals of the SA Group insolvency administration offered the club up for sale before, finally, a third offer, which included a payment of debts in half, was accepted by the creditors. So Crawley Town went with a " black eye " and only prescribed for these cases 10-point deficit in the new season 2006/ 07, which was almost completely compensated within one week with three wins. Although the spirit of optimism could not be maintained, which also Hollins lost his coaching job, but on an interim trio, which includes not only Kotrainer John YEMS the players Ben Judge and David Woozley belonged, the team finished the season ranked 18th

Emergence and Rise (since 2007)

The former Vice President Victor Marley took over in May 2007, the board of the Club and committed with Steve Evans and his assistant Paul Raynor a successful coaching duo, who had five years earlier led Boston United in the Football League. With one of the smallest budgets in the league and a further 6- point penalty succeeded with space 15, a first moderate success and the complete fulfillment of the obligations arising from the insolvency proceedings Crawley Town was re-erected healthy for the first time after a long time.

This moved the Prospect Estates Holdings Limited to a new investor, with the help of John Duly took control of the club in April 2008. Under the leadership of former club directors Bruce Winfield and businesswoman Susan Carter, the club further consolidated and Winfield announced in October 2009 that the 2009/10 season could be completed debt free after you had " inherited " debt of 500,000 pounds. Winfield and Carter acquired in July 2010, the proportion of multi- club shares and actuated henceforth extensive investment in the team that had a surprisingly good seventh place is in the season 2009/10. In the following nine months now no less than 23 new players found their way to Crawley Town, which had to be quickly counted among the Aufstiegsapiranten. Then there was another great success, with a barely lost the match against Manchester United at Old Trafford (0-1) culminated with the achievement of the fifth main round of the FA Cup. On April 9, 2011 Crawley Town made ​​with a 3-0 against FC Tamworth promotion to the Football League Two safe and at the end of the season 2010/11 stood at 105 points, a record in the Football Conference to book. Winfield himself had this success can not live to see, since he had died of cancer three days after a major victory against rivals AFC Wimbledon in March 2011.

Title / Trophies

  • Master Conference National (1 ): 2011
  • Champion Southern League ( 1): 2004

League membership

206263
de