“It Feels Like Home”—Jay Williams Vows to Bring the Buzz Back to Crawley Town

Jay Williams can't wait to help Crawley Town recapture the League Two playoff-winning form that thrilled fans throughout the 2023/24 campaign.

Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images

The 24-year-old rejoined the Reds from MK Dons for an undisclosed fee, just six months after leaving.

Speaking after sealing his return, Williams said: "I'm delighted. I drove down today [28 June] and it feels like I'm back home, so I'm really happy.

"There's a lot of boys in there that I'm really close with, and like I said, it feels like home here."

During his previous spell at Crawley, the defensive midfielder made 57 appearances. He also scored two memorable goals against his now former club, MK Dons, in both legs of Crawley's historic 8-1 play-off semi-final win. The familiarity around the club has made his return to Sussex seamless.

"I came back today and a few of the boys were here doing a few things, and it just felt like I was here from before. It doesn't feel like I've been away — it makes me happy."

"When you're happy, you play your best football. The people that are here believe in me, and I believe in them, and I think that only results in good things."

Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images

Williams was a key figure in Crawley's playoff-winning season, and he wants to recreate that same positive atmosphere at the club again.

"You can have all the resources in the world and it might not work out. But like we had here, we had heart, and people were really hungry to win.

"We're probably going to be underdogs again, and I'm happy with that because I think it brings the group together and makes people work harder.

"They're the best fans I've played in front of. Even through the bad periods that we had — I'm talking more about the start of last season after Scott [Lindsey] left and things started going a bit rocky — I think they stuck with us.

"Hopefully, we can rediscover the form we had the season before. We'll do as much as we can, and I'll definitely do as much as I can to make sure they enjoy coming here and watching us."