Defender Mark Connolly has challenged the squad to build on Tuesday’s win over Exeter when we head to another of the League Two high-fliers on Saturday.
Reds won at home for only the second time this season when they defeated Exeter 3-1.
Now they are preparing for a big game at Coventry City – a venue where Crawley have never won in three previous visits in league and cup.
Conns said: “Tuesday set the standard for us, without a doubt.
“The fans who came saw that when we get it right we can play and are a match for any team in this league.
“The manager encouraged us to play when we could and go long and play from there when we had to. There was a lot of negativity after the Wycombe result and I understand the frustrations of the fans, but I think Tuesday showed that as a squad and a club we are together and we all desperately want to do well.”
Reds have lost two and drawn one of their three previous trips to Coventry’s impressive arena as well as sharing four goals with the Sky Blues in 2014 when they were exiled at Northampton Town for a season.
They boast the best defensive record in the league but Conns says the players, especially those who have not experienced the 32,000 capacity Ricoh Arena, should embrace the challenge.
“It’s a great place to play and they are a good footballing side,” he added. “They don’t score loads of goals but they are very strong defensively so we will need to be disciplined.
“But hopefully we can get a result. Before Wycombe we hadn’t lost away for over two months in the league and even last Saturday we were in the game until the last 15 minutes.
“The positive thing was the way we reacted but, like I said, the good result on Tuesday won’t count for much if we don’t back it up. That’s the challenge for the whole squad.”
