Crawley Town F.C.
A final position of 12th in their first season in the National Division was considered an impressive achievement for the club who finished as the highest-ranked part-time team in the country.[14] Although this was necessary in order to allow them to compete in the division,[15] it led to the departure of several key players, including fans' favourite Charlie MacDonald and goalkeeper Andy Little, who were unable to give up their day jobs to play full-time.The 2005–06 season didn't start well for Crawley as the club found themselves third from bottom and out of the FA Cup after a shock defeat to Braintree Town.Francis Vines was subsequently sacked and replaced by former Chelsea FC manager and player John Hollins and his assistant Alan Lewer.[17] Several key players left the club, including captain Ian Simpemba, Simon Wormull and record signing Daryl Clare; it looked certain that relegation was on the cards.The club was docked three points at the end of the season for breaching the annual playing budget but this had no effect on the final standings and Crawley's league status was safe.[17] It was revealed by local newspaper the Argus several days later that the chairman Chas Majeed was an undischarged bankrupt and therefore banned from holding a high position within the club.By July of that year, the debts were closer to £1.4 million, including money owed to current and former staff, and an offer of 25p in the pound was rejected by the creditors.With HMRC unwilling to move on its demand and being the biggest creditor (the Majeeds were unable to vote on the matter despite being owed money), it looked unlikely that the club would be saved.[21][22] By September 2006 the club's debt was at £1.8 million making former/current players and staff the biggest creditors and giving hope that a rescue bid would be accepted.The offer of 50p in the pound was later accepted and Crawley Town was able to continue playing for the time being, though this didn't stop HMRC from trying to wind up the SAGroup (Majeed's company) over unpaid taxes.The news did not go down well with the fans as the pair had stuck with Crawley when others decided to leave and they had managed to lift the club off the bottom despite a 10-point deduction.[26] However, complications arose and as a result Crawley were given a six-point penalty for the new season and a transfer embargo was put in place because of financial irregularities.For the start of the 2007–08 season, a new regime was put into place which included Victor Marley as club Chairman and Steve Evans as manager, with Paul Raynor as an assistant.Crawley finished the season in a respectable 15th place, and were runners-up in the Sussex Senior Cup, despite the club's financial position and points deduction.In April 2008 Prospect Estate Holdings Limited took control of Crawley after buying it from the SA Group in conjunction with former owner John Duly.After a short period of stability, Crawley Town ended up in the High Court in London to face a winding-up order on 17 February 2010; again this was because of money being owed to HMRC.Many argued the sales of Matt Tubbs and Tyrone Barnett for £800,000[51] and £1,100,000[52] respectively, as well as failing to reach a deal over Andy Drury[53] contributed to their dip in form.However, after drawing 3–3 at home to Carlisle United thanks to captain Jimmy Smith's late goal, Crawley only narrowly survived in League Two.[89] Following an upturn in the club's form, with Crawley losing just two of 11 matches, Yems' contract was extended until the end of the 2022–23 season in late January 2020.[95] The "crypto bro" new owners promised a new approach to football club ownership, talking of building a "tight-knit community" of fans "stretching from West Sussex to anywhere in the world with an internet connection", but they quickly encountered controversy.After Crawley fans requested a meeting with the owners, Johnson delayed, saying the club needed to get to "the bottom of sensitive legal issues".[104] A vital 2–0 win at direct rivals Hartlepool United all but secured survival,[105] confirmed the following week after a 0–0 draw at home to Walsall in the penultimate match of the season.[106] The following campaign saw Crawley Town finish 7th, reaching the play-offs for the first time,[107] where they thrashed MK Dons 8–1 on aggregate in the semi-finals, an EFL record.In January 2012 the application for the new 2,000-seater East Stand and facilities including new turnstiles and Premier League standard floodlights was accepted by Crawley Borough Council.The teams last met in April 2024, with play-off chasing Crawley scoring a 90th minute equaliser to all but confirm Sutton’s relegation to the National League.
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