garthy1706
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Crawley Town are a team from Crawley in West Sussex, and a currently playing in the Blue Square Premier. They were formed back in 1896 and began life in the West Sussex League. In 1962 the club turned Semi Professional, and the following year joined the Southern League First Division. In 1969 the club gained promotion to the Southern League Premier Division, but it was short lived as they were relegated back down again. The club have enjoyed many cup successes, winning the Sussex Professional Cup in 1970, the Gilbert Rice Floodlight Cup in 1980 and 1984, the Southern Counties Combination Floodlight Cup in 1986, and the Sussex Senior Cup in 1990 and 1991. The Sussex Floodlight Cup was won in three consecutive years from 1991 to 1993 and also again in 1998/99. Despite several cup successes, Crawley's most successful cup run at the time was in the 1991-1992 season when they reached the The FA Cup third round proper. During the cup run they defeated Third Division Northampton Town at home 4-2 in the First Round. The club enjoyed a money-spinning tie with Football League neighbours Brighton & Hove Albion at the Goldstone Ground in front of 18,301 fans. In August 2006 it was announced that the club would fold due to their debts, and they came within an hour of the liquidation deadline. However, a last-minute rescue package saved the club and allowed them to carry on playing, albeit with a 10 point deduction for entering administration. 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 assistant. The season didn't get off to the best of starts as the club was deducted six points due to their financial standing. 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. The main turning point for the club came in July 2010, co-owner Bruce Winfield said that all of the club's debts had been cleared. He further revealed that friends and business acquaintances of his had come onboard as passive shareholders and so the club had money in the bank. Manager Steve Evans had also been told to assemble a squad that could get into The Football League. Steve Evans will have have his work cut out now as he tries to get the club into The Football League.