Mark Connolly couldn't hide his delight at signing a new three-year contract with the Reds when he spoke on Friday afternoon.
The defender put pen to paper on a new deal that will secure his long-term future in West Sussex, and he was visibly pleased to get it signed ahead of the new campaign.
"I'm delighted to get it over the line," he told iFollow Crawley.
"It hasn't really taken too long and I spoke with the manager last week and he told me that both him and the club wanted me to sign a new deal.
"I went straight home and spoke to my wife and from then it was just about getting everything right for both myself and my family."
The Irishman was keen to highlight how much of a factor his family were in making the decision - pointing to a settled home life having a positive impact on fortunes on the pitch.
"Being setteld is massive for every footballer - the past few days we've looked at buying a house down here," he continued.
"I'm delighted the club have put faith in me and allowed us to settle down and plan our long term future.
"We've got targets as a team here and hopefully I can play a big part in achieving those."
Saturday's game against Port Vale will see Mark and the side begin their league campaign in front of the home fans, and the defender emphasised that the weekend's opponents will be keen to get off to a positive start.
"It's always nice to start at home - every single year I've been here we've done that and we want to start well tomorrow and be positive.
"They've come down last season and will want to try to start getting back up the league, but we're strong and solid. As long as we go out there and put on a good performance then that's all we can do - hopefully it will be enough to win the game."
iFollow Crawley subscribers can watch the full interview with the defender above as he reflects on the new deal and looks ahead to tomorrow’s league opener against Port Vale at the Checkatrade Stadium.
Fans can sign up to the service for free by clicking here – exclusive live commentary of Saturday’s game against the Valiants will be available to subscribers who’ve paid for a season pass – and fans can sign up to the £4.49 monthly option should they prefer.
Find all the subscription options by clicking here.
