‘Safe’ Town have a role in the play-offs
CRAWLEY CAN EXPECT NO FAVOURS
GRIMSBY Town may have some say on who claims a play-off place on the final day of the season, with three of the four spots still not secured. Only MK Dons of the four teams occupying the spots are guaranteed to be in the play-offs, with the Mariners’ opponents Crawley Town on the outside looking in, needing to win and for other results to go their way to sneak in.
Doncaster Rovers won their game in hand in midweek, which propelled them into fifth above Crewe Alexandra and Barrow.
Crawley are a point behind Barrow and two behind both Crewe and Doncaster.
Bradford City are also technically within reach and are a further point behind Crawley with an inferior goal difference, but if the Bantams win and both Crawley and Barrow lose, they will sneak in.
Crawley need to win to have a realistic chance of getting in – if they draw, they can still grab the last spot, but Barrow would need to lose by two or more goals against Mansfield Town. Doncaster and Crewe only need a draw to secure their places.
Dropping points at relegationthreatened Sutton United last weekend has put Crawley on the back foot, but manager Scott Lindsey was defiant after the game.
Lindsey told the local media: “It’s not over, and we have loads to play for. We are still very much in it. We have just got to keep believing and keep our spirits high. I have just said to the players in the changing room ‘It’s finished, it’s gone now, there’s nothing you can do now, there’s no point being upset’. There’s one final push now. Don Don’t t worry about what’s happening below us, look at what’s happening above, people are having a nervy finish now. I have had to go into the changing room and be positive with the lads because we have got one big push left.
“Anything can happen. But we don’t need to just be looking below us, we have to look above as well. There’s still a lot to play for. Look, we have one game to go and we are still in the playoffs. It’s been a brilliant, brilliant season but it will be disappointing if we don’t make it.”
Grimsby hoped they would be in the top seven fight when everything got underway last August, but they will have to settle for this indirect involvement this year, with their main priority of staying in the division now wrapped up.
Head coach David Artell will make sure his players are not thinking about their holidays, as he wants to see his team end a tough campaign on a high.
Straight after the win over Swindon which secured safety, Artell professed: “I told the players that we’ve still got a job to do [against Crawley]. We’re talking about professional footballers, and there is a reason the word ‘professional’ comes before the word ‘footballer’ because you have to be that first.
“Crawley will likely need to win [to get into the play-offs], but we’ve got to make sure we go there to win ourselves, and it is simple as that.
“We’re not going to go there and roll over – that is certainly not in my nature as a coach and shouldn’t be with the players because we want to end this season properly.”