Scott Lindsey was in no mood for celebration despite his Crawley side taking a firm grip of their Sky Bet League Two play-off semi-final by beating MK Dons 3-0 at the Broadfield Stadium.
The Red Devils go into the return leg at Stadium MK on Saturday with a sizeable advantage after first-half goals from Liam Kelly and Jay Williams put them in charge before a sell out crowd of 5,564.
Substitute Ronan Darcy struck with a deflected shot after 65 minutes to leave boss Lindsey pleased but warning that the job was far from done.
The former Swindon manager said: “We’ve given ourselves a good chance but it will be tough on Saturday and it’s only half-time.
“We need to be professional and humble – it’s not done yet.
“I am not celebrating and I have told the players not to celebrate.
“We knew it would be a tactical game. We are in a good position but we still have lots to do.”
This was only the fifth clean sheet Crawley have kept at home since the start of the season and Lindsey added: “We defended well all night and we got it right tonight.”
MK Dons boss Mike Williamson admitted that the result had left his men with “a mountain to climb” in Saturday’s return leg.
The Dons will have it all to do having never gained promotion via the play-offs in five previous attempts.
Williamson said: “We never looked anything like us.
“We could have scored early on but then Crawley scored. Now we have to dust ourselves down and keep our heads.
“I thought in the first half we didn’t pick up on second balls but improved afterwards.
“I’ll never criticise us for missing chances as we are getting in those positions.
“We wanted to score a goal and now we must make sure the mindset is right on Saturday.
“All goals are avoidable and now we have got a mountain to climb.”
Pep Guardiola cast doubt over his long-term Manchester City future after admitting he is running out of things to achieve following an historic fourth straight Premier League title.The battle for top spot went down to the final day but the reigning champions held their nerve at the Etihad Stadium, where they could not afford a slip-up with Arsenal breathing down their necks.Phil Foden’s fant...
Roberto De Zerbi would like to work in the Premier League again but insisted he does not have another job lined up as he bade farewell to Brighton with a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United.The Italian, whose departure by mutual consent was announced on Saturday, has been linked with a host of top European clubs.De Zerbi cited a difference of vision with Albion owner Tony Bloom as the reason for leavi...
Rob Edwards admitted the doubters were right about Luton after they were relegated from the Premier League following a final-day 4-2 defeat to Fulham at Kenilworth Road.Adama Traore opened the scoring for the Cottagers with Raul Jimenez on target twice and Harry Wilson rounding things off midway through the second half. Carlton Morris (penalty) and Alfie Doughty scored to make it 1-1 and 2-3, but ...
Oliver Glasner replied with an emphatic “no” when asked if he expected his first three months in charge of Crystal Palace would result in his new side equalling a best-ever top-10 Premier League finish.The mood was sour in south London when the Austrian took over a relegation-threatened Eagles side in February, a nadir best exemplified by the protest banners raised by a disillusioned f...
Mikel Arteta vowed Arsenal would come back stronger and win the Premier League after they suffered title heartbreak for a second season in a row.The Gunners claimed a late 2-1 win over Everton on the final day but Manchester City’s 3-1 victory at home to West Ham crowned them champions for a fourth consecutive year.Any chances of last-day jeopardy appeared minimal from the outset, but were r...
Erik ten Hag says Manchester United must “do everything” to repay the “best fans in the world” by lifting the FA Cup after his club suffered their worst Premier League finish.The 20-time English champions signed off a dismal top-flight campaign with a 2-0 win at Brighton but finished in eighth place – their lowest final position since coming 13th in the old first divi...
Nuno Espirito Santo said he would celebrate with “two or three beers” after Nottingham Forest made sure of their Premier League status with a 2-1 win at already-relegated Burnley.Chris Wood scored a brace inside the opening 15 minutes against his former club to eliminate any worries that Luton might have beaten Forest to 17th place – something that would have required an unlikely...
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou says a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League is a good achievement in his first season but insisted he has “lofty ambitions”.Spurs confirmed their place in next season’s Europa League with a 3-0 win at relegated Sheffield United on the final day of the season.Dejan Kulusevski’s double and Pedro Porro’s strike ensured they finished a...
Eddie Howe hopes Bruno Guimaraes was not bidding Newcastle a fond farewell after scoring the goal which clinched seventh place.Guimaraes capped a 4-2 win at Brentford with a late strike and celebrated in front of the away fans in a Toon bucket hat.The Brazil midfielder, linked with a move away this summer, then spent a long time waving to the travelling support after the final whistle.“I don...
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told Anfield to never stop believing and to welcome his successor Arne Slot like they welcomed him as “change is good”.Speaking at a presentation on the pitch, made by owners John W Henry and Tom Werner, chief executive Billy Hogan and Sir Kenny Dalglish after the 2-0 victory over Wolves, the German addressed the crowd and offered a positive outlook on th...
- 1 Sterling considering leaving the club
- 2 Major Liverpool star still an option for Real
- 3 Real Madrid star and fellow Brazilian ace in bizarre WAG SWAP
- 4 Marcus Rashford's new £700,000 Rolls Royce Wraith revealed
- 5 Mourinho to join Fenerbahce?
- 6 Jhon Duran bags brace as Aston Villa draw with Liverpool to boost top-four hopes
- 7 My footballer husband is unemployed but I can still contribute 50p
- 8 Celtic run riot against Kilmarnock to win another Premiership title
- 9 Ian Murray says Raith will improve for play-off final after shootout success
- 10 Dumbarton lead League One play-off final after home win over Spartans