Marc Pullan insists he has nothing to prove in tomorrow's all-Sussex FA Trophy clash at The Broadfield Stadium.

The Worthing defender is facing his old club Crawley for the first time since leaving last summer in a third round tie worth £4,000 to the winners.

Pullan, a former Reds captain, dropped two divisions to join the Rebels after helping Crawley win the Dr Martens league and cup double and promotion to the Conference.

He is relishing the chance to test himself against some old mates but is quick to stress that he left the club on his own terms.

He said: "I feel I have nothing to prove. If they got rid of me then I probably would, but (Crawley manager) Frank Vines wanted to keep me.

"I couldn't commit myself 100 per cent to them after they were promoted to the Conference. I have another kid on the way and there's my work as well, so it would have been too much.

"They went all the way up to Halifax this week and I could not have managed those sorts of trips.

"I do feel that I dropped down a level of football, so it will be good to try to raise my game against them.

"I can't wait. It will be quite strange running out at The Broadfield for the other side but I'm looking forward to it.

"It will be great to play in front of the home crowd again. There is normally a really good atmosphere in the ground and I think there could be around 1,500 fans for the game. It will be a lot different to the 500 we get at Worthing."

Pullan, who spent six-and-a-half seasons in two spells at Crawley, is not surprised his old side have done well this season.

He said: "Frank seems to be clued up and takes no prisoners. The way he built the side up and turned things round in his first season was no fluke and then last year went like a dream.

"He has proved he can get the players in and knows what he needs to do to get results at that level.

"I don't see why they can't finish in the play-offs but it is so close that they could just as easily finish down the bottom as well."

Crawley will make club history if they win tomorrow, having never been past this stage of the competition.

Stewart Holmes, another former Crawley player in the Worthing ranks, was sitting with Pullan when they heard the draw.

Holmes said: "Marc and me were in a bar just before we heard the draw and I remember saying: 'What are the odds of getting Crawley?' I am really excited about it, especially as I haven't played there since I left."

The versatile 28-year-old spent two-and-a-half seasons at The Broadfield before leaving for Eastbourne Borough in September, 2003.

Holmes, whose return is under threat from a groin injury, has fond memories of his time with the Reds with whom he won the Dr Martens League Cup and Sussex Senior Cup.

He said: "Crawley are a very special club and any player in Sussex should be aspiring to play for them.

"Crawley have done fantastically over the last couple of seasons. Frank (Vines) inherited a good side from Billy Smith but he has taken it on another level and did exceptionally well in his first full season.

"I consider myself lucky to have played for them. My last full season there was probably my best in senior football."

Worthing enter the game having lost four of their last five games and are beset by injuries.

Holmes said: "Our form recently has been poor but on our day we are as good a side as anyone. They proved that in the Trophy last season."

The Rebels are definitley without Sam Francis, Owen Hill, Nko Ekoku, Chris Dicker, Clay Lamont, Roy Pook and Des Guile while on-loan striker Jones Awuah has gone back to Gillingham.

In addition, Holmes and Shaun Grice are struggling with groin strains while Andy Alexander returns from knee ligament trouble having had just one training session.

Manager Alan Pook said: "This game has come three weeks too early for us with our injury problems. But none of my players will be overawed. We have an underdogs' chance which suits me fine.

"I would like to have a couple more forwards to choose from but we will be positive. We won't be going there to defend. We have a good record against Crawley, having beaten them the last two times we have met."

Crawley's Rob Kember, Ben Judge and Sean Hankin all have hamstring problems.