Have tips from the top given Lewis Young his true calling?

The winger-turned full-back penned a new one-year deal at Reds last week and is committed to turning in the hard-work on and off the field.

Having joined in 2014, the 26-year-old has seen himself in and out of the team and deployed in plenty of different roles.

That has not worried the former Northampton and Watford man, but some words of encouragement - a comparison to Champions League winning Chelsea defender Ashley Cole, from Reds head coach Dermot Drummy has hit a note with Young.

Impact from another Ashley, his Manchester United playing brother, has had Young putting in the man hours off the field over the summer to prove his critics wrong.

He said: “I can hold my hands up and say at times last season I have not got to the heights I have in previous seasons.

“I want to put that right, it’s why I have gone away and looked at things and worked on things. I want to show those fans what I can do.

“It’s pretty much the same as what I said to the manager, as long as I am out there contributing to the team, I am not really bothered with where I play.

“As long as I am helping the boys and being a positive aspect on the team next season, fingers crossed, if he sees me playing there, I will buy into what he says.”

On the Cole comparison, Young continued: “It was something he said to me straight away. We spoke one-on-one the second day after he came in and he kept reiterating it over and over.

“He sent me away this summer to watch certain players and do a bit of homework. I have also gone away and spoke to my brother as he played a few games there last season and it’s something I am working towards.

“To be spoken about as someone in such high esteem as Ashley Cole, you like to take that praise and take what you can from it. My brother actually comes to lots of away games, but come a bit under-cover so he can just watch the game.

“He asks me to send him a lot of clips and it’s not just him, it’s my dad and other brothers as well, we are all football mad.

“I am in the fortunate place to call on his experience and he has been there and done it, but he is also my biggest critic. He gets along as much as he can when he has not a game, although he is up in Manchester and I am down south now, but we speak two or three times a day.”

The 5ft 9in Stevenage-born player, who has made 63 appearances for Crawley in two years, believes it could be the start of something special at the League Two club. I am very, very happy. I think the new plans the manager has in place, even towards the end of last season look really positive.

“Some of the players he has brought it looked really technical and talented players and very good additions to those that were here from last year. I hope we can get on with things and take on what the manager wants us to do.

“As soon as I came in and saw him and the assistant, who I have worked with before, I knew I’d like to be involved as I knew they could improve me as a player. I truly believe we could have something special here, but we want to keep all those plans in house.”

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