Chapter 21: No More Underdogs
Saturday, 6 December
Match 17: Crawley Town vs Morecambe
The morning of the match was cold and grey.
Frost covered the windows and everyone's breath showed in the air. Broadfield Stadium was already busy. Volunteers were setting up the kits, the grounds staff were working on the pitch and the rest of the staff were getting everything ready.
This wasn't going to be an easy game.
Morecambe were fourth in the table. They were organised, dangerous on the counter and good at taking their chances. They didn't need many opportunities to score.
But Crawley had started to believe they could do the same.
The players arrived one by one. Jackets were zipped up, headphones were on and nobody was talking much.
Reece nodded to a few staff members as he walked in.
Nate gave Luka a quick fist bump.
Max Simons, the oldest player in the squad, arrived last. He walked in slowly, looking calm but focused. He wasn't starting, but Niels had already told him to stay ready.
In the dressing room, Niels kept it short.
"Play with courage. Be the team nobody wants to face. We didn't come here just to defend. We came here to make a statement."
Kickoff
"And we're underway at Broadfield! Crawley Town take on promotion-chasing Morecambe in what should be a tough game."
The opening minutes were exactly what everyone expected.
Morecambe pressed high from the start. They closed players down quickly and went into every challenge with plenty of energy.
In the fourth minute, Reece was put under pressure deep in his own half. He just managed to get the ball out to the left before two Morecambe players closed him down.
Crawley didn't panic.
They stayed in their shape and stuck to the plan.
Reece stayed deep in midfield, giving the defence an option and moving the ball out to the wings whenever he could.
Dev and Luka moved around the spaces between Morecambe's midfield and defence, looking for gaps.
Nate looked confident after his goal against Wrexham. He kept running down the right, forcing the Morecambe defenders to follow him.
In the 13th minute, Crawley had their first real chance.
Nate made a run behind the defence and Dev found him with a pass over the top. Nate brought it down, cut inside and hit a low shot.
The goalkeeper got down quickly and saved it.
"A good chance for Crawley. They're showing Morecambe they won't sit back."
By the 25th minute, it was clear Morecambe were having a harder game than they expected. Crawley were dealing with the pressure well, matching their intensity and starting to create more going forward.
But Morecambe came close just before the half-hour.
A deep cross caught the Crawley defence out. Their striker got away from his marker and headed towards goal.
The ball hit the bar.
Reece was first to the rebound and cleared it without any panic.
"Morecambe were very close there, but Crawley managed to deal with it."
Half-time: Crawley 0-0 Morecambe
In the changing room, nobody was panicking.
The players were tired, their shirts were soaked and everyone was breathing heavily. But they were still focused.
Niels looked around the room.
"You've got control of the game," he said. "Now we need to finish it. Every detail matters. One good run, one good pass. That's all it can take."
He then turned to Max.
"You'll get your chance."
Max nodded once.
Second Half
Morecambe came out strongly after the break. Their manager had clearly told them to step it up.
For the next fifteen minutes, Crawley were pushed back. Most of the team was behind the ball, defending around their own box.
One Morecambe shot was cleared off the line. Another was heading towards the corner before the Crawley goalkeeper got across and pushed it wide.
But Crawley stayed in the game.
They defended, waited and looked for a chance to break forward.
That chance came in the 66th minute.
Dev won the ball near halfway, turned away from his marker and drove forward. He found Luka in the inside-left channel.
Luka opened up and curled a shot towards goal.
The keeper saved it again.
"They just can't find the finish, but Crawley are still pushing."
By the 72nd minute, Nate was starting to tire. He had taken a few knocks and spent most of the game running at defenders.
He lost the ball twice in quick succession.
Niels looked towards the bench.
"Max," he called. "You're on. Go make it count."
The fourth official held up the board.
Nate walked off to a round of applause.
Max Simons came on, gloves on and fully focused.
Now it was his chance.
Final Ten Minutes
Morecambe were starting to slow down. The pressure they had put on Crawley earlier was fading, and some of their midfielders were clearly tired.
Crawley started to push forward again.
Dev still had plenty of energy. He kept finding space and getting away from his marker. Reece continued to organise things from the middle. Luka had found another burst of energy and was moving between the lines.
In the 84th minute, Crawley came close to taking the lead.
Luka sent a free kick into the box. Reece rose above the defenders and headed it towards goal.
It went just wide.
"Another good chance for Crawley. They are getting closer."
Niels stood in the technical area with his hands on his hips. His breath showed in the cold air.
He looked at the clock.
90 minutes.
The fourth official raised the board.
+4 minutes.
The ball was with Crawley in midfield. Luka had dropped deeper, while Morecambe were sitting back and trying to protect the draw.
Dev took a touch and switched the ball out to the right-back, who had pushed forward.
The right-back crossed it first time.
It wasn't a great cross. The ball was slightly behind Max.
Max adjusted, took a step back and let it bounce.
Then he swung his right foot at it.
The shot was clean.
It went through a crowd of players and flew into the bottom-left corner.
Goal.
93rd minute.
"MAX SIMONS! What a finish! The veteran has come off the bench and scored a late winner! Crawley 1–0 Morecambe!"
The stadium erupted.
Max didn't run around or jump into the crowd. He simply turned away with his arms out and stood there for a moment.
Nate jumped off the bench.
Luka ran straight towards Max and hugged him.
Reece punched the air.
Niels just smiled.
He was proud of them.
All the work from the past few weeks had led to this moment.
Full-time: Crawley 1-0 Morecambe
The final whistle went.
Morecambe players dropped their heads.
Crawley celebrated.
Max walked off slowly, taking it all in. Dev caught up with him and slapped him on the back.
"You couldn't have written that any better."
Max laughed.
Back in the dressing room, the music was on and everyone was celebrating. There was shouting, laughing and plenty of noise.
But underneath all of it was something different.
The players trusted each other now.
They believed in the team.
This wasn't luck.
It was starting to feel real.
Later That Night
Niels walked home again.
He passed the same cafés and the same Christmas lights, but the walk felt different this time.
A young boy wearing a Crawley scarf walked past. He had clearly been at the match.
The boy noticed Niels and recognised him. He gave him a shy thumbs-up before running off, looking back once as he went.
Niels smiled and returned the thumbs-up.
Back at the flat, Niels opened the same file.
What comes after survival?
Underneath the line from the night before, he added:
Three points earned through grit and belief. Sealed by Max bloody Simons.
He sat back and looked at the screen.
The nights were getting colder.
But Crawley were starting to look stronger with every win.