How Crawley Town shape up ahead of their Shrewsbury Town clash

While Shrewsbury Town have already secured their safety, Crawley Town remain among those fighting for their lives.

The Red Devils parted ways with Scott Lindsey last month following a 10-match winless run that left them hovering just above the relegation zone.

In came former Derby County, Brighton and Sheffield United forward Colin Kazim-Richards, taking on his first managerial role since retiring from playing.

The 39-year-old initially enjoyed a ‘new manager bounce’, leading Crawley to consecutive victories in his first two games and restoring hope that they could avoid a nervy end to the season.

However, defeats to Grimsby Town and Bristol Rovers have since dragged them back into trouble, leaving them one of three clubs sitting just a point clear of the bottom two.

Victory this weekend would represent a significant step towards preserving their Football League status, and Kazim-Richards is under no illusion about the challenge ahead.

He said: “They are all massive games anyway, but results do dictate what is going on, it is a results-based business. Every single game was as big as the last.”

Historically, Crawley have struggled against Salop, winning just two of their nine meetings since 2011. The most recent clash at the Broadfield Stadium produced eight goals, with Shrewsbury coming out on top.

Both sides have endured similar struggles this season following their relegation from League One last term. That difficult campaign to forget for both clubs ended at the Croud Meadow, where Crawley finished on a high with victory.

Josh Flint, Geraldo Bajrami, Theo Vassell and Daniel Orsi remain sidelined for Crawley, with Kellan Gordon the latest addition to the injury list following the defeat at Bristol.

“There are no excuses, these are the cards that we have now,” said Kazim-Richards.

“Every team goes through it, every team has injuries, we just have a few in the same position. We have to take it how it is.”