Crawley Town surviving the season is a success for boss John Yems

The Reds sit 12th in League Two following Saturday’s thrilling 3-3 draw at Stevenage in the penultimate game of the season.

Earlier in the campaign Yems’ charges embarked on a fairytale run to the FA Cup fourth round.

After seeing off Torquay United in a thriller and battling past AFC Wimbledon in rounds one and two, the Reds claimed the scalp of Premier League outfit Leeds United in the third round.

The 3-0 victory over the Whites in front of the BBC cameras netted the Reds £61,500 in prize money and a date with Championship side AFC Bournemouth in round four.

But Crawley couldn’t match their historic runs to the fifth round in 2010-11 and 2011-12 respectively, as the Cherries ran out 2-1 winners at the Vitality Stadium.

Government guidelines have meant that fans have not been allowed to pack the stands at The People’s Pension Stadium this season.

Yems was disappointed supporters weren’t able to witness their giantkilling of Leeds, but paid tribute to the club’s owners for keeping Crawley afloat during a difficult campaign.

He said: “I made these statements right at the beginning of the season.

“For any club, and especially a club of our size, to survive the season is an achievement.

“Do I think we’ve underachieved this year? Could we have done better on the pitch? I think we could have done.

“It’s such a shame, I think, that (we recorded) one of the biggest results in the club’s history, beating Leeds, and none of the fans were there to see it.

“But we’ve survived. There’s some bigger clubs than us that are struggling.

“I think it’s a compliment to the owners and everybody who has got behind it all and backed it.”

Crawley Town close out the 2020-21 League Two campaign with a home game against promotion-chasing Bolton Wanderers this Saturday.

The Reds’ clash with the Trotters at The People’s Pension Stadium will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.