Crawley Town's EFL future remains in their own hands, says head coach Colin Kazim-Richards
Colin Kazim-Richards reiterated that Crawley Town’s EFL survival remains in their own hands after a 3-3 draw at Accrington Stanley slipped them closer to relegation from League Two.
Josh Woods opened the scoring for the hosts in the 23rd minute before Harry Forster equalised for the Reds 14 minutes later.
Taylor Richards’ 58th-minute deflected strike levelled the scoreline again after Isaac Sinclair had made it 2-1 four minutes into the second half.
Woods bagged his second in the 64th minute but Crawley captain Jay Williams equalised for the third time seven minutes later to earn the visitors a crucial point that kept them above the bottom-two on goal difference.
While a draw only increases the pressure on the final-day clash with promotion-pushing Salford City, a win at the Broadfield Stadium would guarantee the Reds’ safety.
“We have to be confident,” Kazim-Richards told club media. “It is in our hands, but what we have to do is start learning from our mistakes fast - today, tomorrow, Monday, Tuesday.
“We can't turn up on Saturday and expect to be making the same mistakes and trying to get a different result.
“It is one more round. I will always believe in that. When you talk to every manager that we play, it’s like, ‘you ask so many questions, you make it really difficult and you keep going.’
“It's just that we have to be better in both boxes. Today was good in the other box, in terms of scoring three goals, but then defending the goals which doesn't mean defenders - let me explain that it's everybody. We have to be better with staying with our men.”
It was the Reds’ final away-day of the season, and the Reds’ boss was keen to pay tribute to the travelling supporters who made the long journey to Lancashire on Saturday.
He said: “I'd like to say thank you. Obviously, we had a lot of fans there today and it is quite a long travel. After the game, they were top.
“They were superb. They were calling us in, but we have to really learn from our mistakes. That can't continue - it can't.
“We can take it to any side. We can push forward but we have to be more consistent. We have to be more brave.”
And on the work to be done ahead of next weekend’s pivotal game, Kazim-Richards added: “Listen, in football, you're going to get a punch to the face. You're going to get bad refereeing decisions. Things are not going to go your way. You're going to lose the ball.
“But you have to keep believing and be disciplined enough to do what it is the ideas and the practices that we do, and all things like that in terms of the outcomes we want in the game. “You have to keep pushing, and that's what training will be. It will be identifying some things that we do didn't do as well as we should have and making them know and putting that right during the week.”
While a win would ensure their EFL status, the Reds should avoid relegation if they match or better 23rd-placed Harrogate Town’s result against Barnet next Saturday due to their superior goal difference.
Bottom-club Barrow look set to face the drop after a 3-0 defeat to Cambridge United left them three points adrift of safety with the worst goal difference in the league.
They face 21st-placed Newport County on the final day, with the Exiles a point above the Reds and level with 20th-placed Tranmere Rovers who take on Grimsby Town next weekend.