'How I wanted it' - Crawley Town head coach makes admission after Salford point secures League Two safety

The Reds clinched their safety with a hard-fought point at the Broadfield Stadium, fending off a flurry of Ammies’ efforts and keeping a crucial clean sheet through heroic defending and goalkeeping.

Harrogate Town’s 2-1 defeat to Barnet meant they were relegated to the National League alongside Barrow, with Kazim-Richards' side staying up by a single point.

There were jubilant scenes at the end of the game with fans invading the pitch and serenading the Reds’ boss and players.

Despite the Sulphurites’ defeat meaning the Reds were practically guaranteed safety, Kazim-Richards was delighted his side were able to play a big part in their own destiny.

“That's exactly how I wanted it,” he said. “I wouldn’t have wanted it given to me. There's no better way than earning something, and we earned it and we deserved it.

“And there's no, ‘unlucky, oh yeah, but.’ There's no ‘yeah, buts.’ We got more points than Harrogate, and we were able to drag Tranmere [Rovers] into it as well. I thought that was down to us as well.

“So, to get over the line by earning it, it tastes way better. It's crazy you say that because that was one thing about our meeting last week.

“When you're invested in something and you work for something, it's very hard for you then to give it up. When something's given to you, it's easy to give it up. But I didn't pay for that, it cost me nothing.”

Salford would have won automatic promotion to League One with a win on Saturday, and Kazim-Richards shared how that added even more fuel to the fire for the hosts to get a result.

“It wasn't given,” he said. “We've had to fight and scrap on the last day. No disrespect to anyone, [but] we're not posting envelopes where anyone is trying to take it away from us.

“Salford have everything to play for today. They're fighting for promotion and they still are. They're going into the playoffs now.

“And that was a big message for them – no one comes here and wins promotion. That's not happening over here, I'm sorry. They're not coming in and being able to party on our pitch. Me as a person, that's not happening, and that was the mindset going into it.”

The Reds finished in 22nd place – a point below Tranmere who got a point against Grimsby Town on the final day. Newport County, who were losing and at one point heading down, turned it around to beat Barrow 2-1 and finish in 20th.

Kazim-Richards was contracted until the end of this season but has hinted he will lead the Reds into next season. From his seven games in charge this campaign, he earned two wins, three draws and suffered defeat twice.