Manager leaves promotion contenders in surprise move to League Two strugglers

Manager Scott Lindsey has left promotion-chasing Swindon Town to take charge of struggling Crawley.

The Robins beat Northampton 2-1 at Sixfields recently but that remains one of only two victories in nine games across all competitions. They were beaten 1-0 by relegation-threatened Colchester United on New Year’s Day in their last outing and have subsequently slipped just outside the play-off positions.

Crawley, meanwhile, are a couple of places outside the League Two relegation zone and saw manager Matthew Etherington leave the club after just 32 days. Crawley had already sacked Kevin Betsy earlier in the season.

“I’m really excited to be here,” said Lindsey. “It has taken a while, but I am delighted to finally get the deal done and over the line. I am straight to work on the training ground tomorrow, they are a great group of lads, and I look forward to working with them.

"When Crawley put the approach in to Swindon, I was immediately excited and wanted to see what it was all about. It was clear to see the plan that Chris (Galley, CEO) and the owners have in place and how they want to move the club forward.

"Working with Chris every day will support me, and it is clear to see that this is a progressive club who are only looking to move forward. I look forward to meeting all of the fans on Saturday and getting stuck into the challenge.”

Swindon owner Clem Morfuni said: “We’d like to take this opportunity to thank our fans for their continued support and patience during the last week or so, and we know they will get behind Steve, Gavin and our players in the short term.

“Due to legal protocols, we have been unable to provide comment or respond to questions regarding the futures of both Scott and Jamie.

“Our prime aim is now focused on bringing in a new head coach who shares the same drive, ambition, vision and values as we do in order to drive us forward, with promotion this season very much still our intended target.”