Scott Lindsey says he would run through a brick wall for the bunch of “nobodies” who have taken Crawley Town to Wembley for the first time.

Due diligence, data-led recruitment and many hours on the training ground suggest to him the feeling is mutual.

Reds are preparing to face Crewe Alexandra in the League Two play-off final on Sunday (1pm).

It is a battle of the self-proclaimed underdogs, although an 8-1 aggregate win over MK Dons has added to the expectation on the Crawley camp.

There is no doubting, however, that Reds have been unfancied pretty much all season after rebuilding their squad with players picked up from non-league and lower divisions, many of them with little track record.

Spotting and polishing gems has been key to Crawley making a late surge to claim seventh place, then outclassing the Dons.

Lindsey, who rang the changes after keeping the club up a year ago, referred to his signings as “nobodies” recently, although it felt like he was saying that in quote marks.

He knew full well who they were when he brought them in.

Now, as Wembley looms, he told The Argus: “Recruitment has been outstanding here, which is the reason why we are at Wembley on Sunday.

“We have got some really good players.

“They were players that were - how can I put it? - potentials.

“There wasn’t a finished article.

“What we have got here is an ownership who are very big on data and they have a certain way of finding data on players from lower leagues who they feel can fit into the system of how I want my team to play.

“I then look at those players in real detail and say ‘Yay’ or ‘Nay’, basically.

“The system has really worked and the players we have signed have fitted in perfectly.

“We have got some outstanding players here who, had it not been for the data, we might have missed.

“I’m grateful to the owners just to have that way of working.

“And I’m grateful for the players they put in front of me.

“Then it was down to me to make sure I was happy with how that worked and it has worked perfectly.”

Lindsey sees the system as slightly different to anything he has worked with before.

He added: “We will look at certain key markers for players.

“Dan Orsi is a good example of this.

“Not many managers would have touched him, no disrespect (due to his goals record).

“All managers want to see their centre-forwards put the ball in the net.

“We looked at different markers.

“We looked at xG, we looked at ball touches in the box.

“We ran a heat map of where he did his work.

“We felt he could be coached to put the ball in the net.

“He was doing everything right apart from that.

“He was arriving in the right places, he was getting into the areas where he could hurt the opposition – but without hurting the opposition.

“We polished it with a lot of work on the training ground and made sure he had that final bit of putting the ball in the net.

“He has done outstandingly, 25 goals in all competitions.

“He is a great kid as well, I’m really pleased for him.”

Which takes you to the next part – judging the personalities behind the data.

Lindsey said: “Usually the minute I meet them, I can tell.

“Not only that. We do a lot of due diligence on the person.

“We make sure we are getting good people in here.

“That’s important to me. We don’t just want to sign footballers, we want to sign good people.

“I think that is what we have done here.

“When I first came in, we had players who were willing to pick their money up but not do a lot of work for it.

“I clocked that quite early and realised the culture needed to change here.

“I did that and the people I have brought in are proper, proper people who are willing to run, and run hard.

“And I’m willing to run hard for them as well.

“I would run through a brick wall for them, never mind the other way around.

“They are great lads.”