Crawley Town boss Harry Kewell: '˜Even if we weren't to pick up another point this season, we've improved'

The Reds have lost back-to-back home matches in a week, conceding eight goals, leaving them 13th and ten points short of the League Two play-offs with seven games to go.

Saturday’s 5-3 loss to 15th placed Cheltenham Town means they are without a win in five league games, but Kewell hailed the improvements his side have made since last season and confirmed that he has offered some players a new contract as a result.

He said: “The fans are always going to be disappointed, after getting used to having a way of winning but we are on 53 points, two better off than last year with seven games to go.

“You want improvement and that’s clear as day improvement. A few boys here have been offered contracts to stay which shows improvement.

“You look at the conditions we have to work in and there is improvement because the boys are not complaining about that.

“They are working solidly, day in, day out. Even if we weren’t to pick up another point, we’ve improved.

“We won’t take our foot off the pedal, I will push them and they will be begging for the break.

“We want to play an aggressive style of football and win every game.”

Kewell criticised his side’s recent defensive errors but continued to praise their style of play and fighting spirit to get back into games which he believes is why most fans stayed glued to their seats.

He added: “I was disappointed that we gave away cheap goals which we can’t afford to do.

“But my players play the right way, I don’t care what anyone else says.

“We know how many people come here to watch my players and we know how many are on other people’s radar so that’s a credit to them.

“This way of playing is something the club hasn’t seen in the last three years.

“The fans stay because they like entertaining football, it’s as simple as that.

“If you concede eight goals at home (in two games) you are going to lose but they believe there is always a chance this Crawley team can get back into the game.

“Four, five years ago, most fans would go home at 5-1 down because they thought it was never going to happen.

“They believe that we can always get back into the game, just like I also believe that.

“At the start, everyone put us as second favourites to go down so I take my hat off to these boys but the job’s not done yet and you never know. We will fight until the very end.”

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