David Crawley (born: 20 June 1977) was born in Dundalk but emigrated to England at the age of 16 to join the Manchester City academy. He didn’t spend long there, however, and returned to Dundalk due to a bout of homesickness. He arrived at Oriel Park in the 1994/95 season and appeared and scored in the Leinster Senior Cup, but it would be the following year that would see David make his league bow. After sitting on the bench for the club’s UEFA Cup tie with Malmo (Sweden), he made six appearances in the league and impressed enough to become a regular in 96/97 as he made 25 appearances. Crawley found his first league goal for the club shortly into the following season as he helped Dundalk claim a point in a 1-1 draw with local rivals Drogheda United at Oriel Park, in a season which saw him line-out 31 times. 1998/99 brought heartache for Crawley and the club as they suffered their first ever relegation despite the left-back performing well (31 appearances/1 goal).
 
Crawley’s first foray into First Division competition saw him find six goals in 35 appearances, but it wasn’t enough to get Dundalk into the playoffs in the year of the ‘Fran Carter Affair’. Martin Murray was soon appointed to the hotseat and one of his first tasks was to find a new club captain following the departure of both Noel Melvin and Paul Whelan, who had shared the captaincy the previous season. Murray’s decision to hand the captain’s armband to Crawley was an acknowledgement by the new boss that the local defender, though only 23 at the time, was already one of the most mature and experienced players at Oriel Park. That faith was repaid soon after as David led Dundalk to the First Division title in 2001 and a ticket back to the top flight at the second time of asking. That feat meant ‘Davy’ had become the first hometown captain to lift a league championship for the club since John Murphy in 1963.
 
2002 proved to be a bitter sweet year for Crawley as Dundalk returned to the First Division after just one season following a heartbreaking relegation in Monaghan on 31 March 2002. The squad had to recover from that disappointment within seven days to face an FAI Cup final meeting with Bohemians at Tolka Park, and they did so, as, for the second time in as many seasons, Crawley lifted a piece of silverware. This time, it was the first time a local-born captain had raised the Blue Riband since Crawley’s brother, Willie, did it in 1981. Speaking after the final, Crawley stated: “There’s good times ahead in Oriel Park”, but when the offer of Premier Division football with Shelbourne came a couple of weeks later, the defender couldn’t resist.
 
David’s first season at the Tolka Park club, in the interim season of 2002, saw him feature in all 27 league games and score three goals, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Bohemians from taking the title by five points. The following season saw Shels go one better as they reversed form with Bohs to win the championship by five points. Crawley played in 23 of their 36 matches and scored one goal during that year as he captured his very first Premier League medal. It was soon to be medal number two for Crawley as Shels retained the title a year later with the left-back playing a key role (30 appearances/2 goals). However, that proved to be Crawley’s last regular involvement in the team, as he made just 18 league appearances in the following two years. Crawley attempted to end that hell in the 2006 July transfer window when he expressed his desire to return to Dundalk, but it was a move that was blocked by his manager, Pat Fenlon. David didn’t have to wait long for a return to the border town, though, and, after taking his third league medal with Shels the previous November, he completed his move back home in January 2007.
 
He was a regular in John Gill’s team during 2007 - his first game back for the club being the opening day 3-2 win over Finn Harps on 8 March. Crawley’s first goal for the Lilywhites since a penalty against Longford on 15 November 2001 came against Shelbourne at Oriel Park on 24 May when he fired in a trademark second-minute free-kick against his former club, and he went on to make, in total, 31 league appearances as the Lilywhites finished third behind champions, Cobh Ramblers. Signed on again for 2008, it now appears that Crawley will spend the remainder of his career at Dundalk.
 
Profile last updated: February 2008