Former Charlton and Luton Town midfielder praised by Crawley Town head coach

Watson, signed as a free agent in February 2025, featured regularly in the first half of this season but failed to register a goal or an assist.

An unnamed substitute in the 3-0 defeat at Cheltenham on January 4, a result that prompted former Reds manager Scott Lindsey to lead an overhaul of the squad, Watson was then left out of all matchday squads for the remainder of Lindsey’s tenure.

The former Derby County and Charlton Athletic midfielder has come off the bench in the last three games under his new boss and scored in the 3-1 defeat at Bristol Rovers last time out.

“It makes me smile,” Kazim-Richards said. “Not because of the situation we're in, but when I came here, I said to everybody it was a clean slate, and things do change. Circumstances do change day by day, but the principle stays the same.

“So, I'm happy that I've been able to stand by what I said at the start and he's pushed himself into the team. He's come on [and] he's made a difference.

“I made a difficult phone call to him before the Gillingham game to say that he wasn't on the bench, even though he had trained very well. He took it on the chin and he was like, ‘look, just know I'm available and I want to show myself. I want to play football. I want to get us out of this relegation fight that we're in.’ So, it's a credit to himself.”

Watson appeared to be out of favour under Lindsey, but Kazim-Richards was keen to deflect any credit for the midfielder’s return away from himself.

He said: “I'm not saying it's anything to do with me. What I am saying is that the mindset - I think he has definitely took that on board, and he's just coming into work and so are a lot of others.

“It’s just circumstance. We can only play 11 players and because of certain situations, like we can only have six on the bench and stuff like that, a lot of people are missing out at this moment.

“But that's the job, and that's what it takes. So, in terms of Louie Watson, he's pushed his way into contention for selection and we'll see what happens.”

The midfielder’s contract is due to expire at the end of this season, with his future at the club currently unclear.

The 24-year-old is likely to feature this Saturday when the Reds welcome Shrewsbury Town to the Broadfield Stadium in another crucial clash in their fight for League Two and EFL survival.

The Reds remain 21st in the table but are only a point clear of the relegation zone with three games left to play.