‘Don't ask forgiveness’ – Crawley Town head coach makes demand of players ahead of huge Salford City clash

The Reds sit 22nd in League Two, above the bottom-two on goal difference with one massive game left of the season.

Ahead of the game, the club’s CEO Tom Allman said: “We have a legacy to safeguard and a duty to everyone at this club, past and present, to protect the work that has gone into getting us where we are now.”

If Harrogate Town (23rd) get a point or more against Barnet and Crawley lose to the Ammies, the Reds will be relegated from the EFL – a fate that would hold dire consequences for the club’s future.

“The players know that,” Kazim-Richards said. “I've said it to them before myself. Like I said, it's not something that is hidden. I just believe you should always be honest. This is where we're at.

“I've said it over and over again. You're not going to wake up today and tomorrow. It's not there. It's still going to be there.

“It's not like it's going anywhere. The only way it goes anywhere is if we take control and we do what we need to do.

“What we're aiming to do is take control and get the win, and we're able to control the controllable, which is what goes on that pitch. So, by me not being honest and telling them, it's like a setup for failure.”

He added: “I don't believe in setting up for failure. You might fail, but you set up to go and win. You set up to dominate. You set up to control. And if I didn't let them know that, it would be me, in my opinion, not preparing my team to go out and leave everything.

“You leave everything on that pitch on Saturday. Absolutely everything. Your sweat, your tears, your emotions. Everything stays on that pitch. You don't come off of that pitch and think, ‘if I just had, if I just did.’”

Kazim-Richards spoke of a past manager of his that taught him a valuable lesson about the mentality required to succeed in football.

He said: “I won't mention his name, but it's a coach that I admire a lot. He always says, ‘tell me sorry later.’

“Don't ask for forgiveness, just do it on the pitch and then say sorry after if it wasn't the right decision or not. Just do it, say sorry later. So that's the kind of mindset that we're going in [with].

“Obviously, we have tactics, etc. That's part of the game, but in terms of a mindset, that's what I can honestly say to you guys today. That is the mindset we're going in. No energy sloths out here. There's no time for that.”

Elsewhere at the weekend, bottom-club Barrow, who are three points adrift with the league’s worst goal difference, host 21st-placed Newport County.

The Exiles are a point above Crawley, as are Tranmere Rovers (20th) who take on play-off hopefuls Grimsby Town.