DEFENSIVE lynchpin Rio Adebisi is gunning for a memorable SECOND promotion with Crewe
Rio Adebisi discusses Crewe's quest for promotion in the League Two play-off final against Crawley at Wembley. With insights on his past promotion, the semi-final comeback, and the upcoming final, Adebisi provides a glimpse into Crewe's journey in this exclusive interview with SportsBoom.com
The Railwaymen are on the cusp of a famous promotion back to League One – but they must beat Crawley in Sunday's League Two play-off final at Wembley to secure a welcome return to the third tier.
Adebisi tasted sweet success in his debut season with the club, winning promotion as champions to League One in the 2019-2020, only to be relegated the following campaign.
“I was involved in the last promotion the club had, but for me personally this has been my best season because I’ve been able to play in every game,” Adebisi told Football Site SportsBoom.com.
“We got promoted in the Covid year. It was really good, but the season got cut short because of Covid and I was injured at the time.
“But the only problem with going up that year was that we weren’t able to celebrate properly because of all the restrictions in place. It was bit weird.
“There was no party afterwards and no fans in the stadiums at that same, so hopefully we might be able to celebrate this time if we can win.”
Image Credits: League Football Education
Crewe lost the first leg of their semi-final 2-0 at home to in-form Doncaster Rovers, but recovered to beat the Yorkshire outfit 2-0 away in the second leg
And a sought-after Wembley berth was secured with a thrilling 4-3 penalty shootout victory.
“We were probably not expected by people to do as well as we’ve done,” offered Adebisi.
“But what we’ve done is really good, to get the results towards the end of the season, has been amazing really.
“It was an unbelievable semi-final. We were nervous going into the second leg because we were 2-0 down, but we scored early on and that helped us massively.
“To then go on and win on pens, well the celebrations afterwards were just amazing.
“We just had to focus on ourselves and not worry about the scoreline. We knew that if we scored early then all the pressure would be on them – and that’s what happened.”
Crewe have beaten Crawley twice this season, 4-2 away and 1-0 at home
But Adebisi, 23, has warned the Railwaymen won’t be big-headed going into the fixture.
“They were beating us at half-time at their place, so for us to come back and win 4-2 was a great result,” he reflected.
“We obviously beat them at home as well, but we just need to make sure we focus because it’s a one-off cup game, anything can happen.”
He joked: “I’ve been sorting out tickets this week, it’s been a bit stressful to be honest.
“But I’m really looking forward to it, I’m really excited.
“It’s going to be a great occasion, it’s a great achievement for us getting to the final.
“I’ve never played at Wembley before. It’s a big stage, so I’ll probably get some nerves. Although, for me, it’s more excitement.
“Togetherness has been the big thing this season, we’re more like a family and everyone gets on with each other and wants each other to do well.
“The last thing we want to do it lose, but to win would be unreal.
“Every footballer’s dream is to play and win at Wembley, that would be unbelievable.”
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.