Crawley manager John Hollins praised the professionalism of his players after seeing them win their most important game of the season.

Reds moved out of the Conference drop-zone after claiming three crucial points against relegation rivals Scarborough.

Victory followed another week of off--field turmoil.

First, chairman Chas Majeed criticised the players and attempted to justify his decision to cut their wages in half at an open meeting with supporters.

Then the players were hauled in for more one-on-one meetings about their futures and there has been plenty of speculation linking them with other clubs.

Hollins was forced to sign three youngsters from Millwall on the eve of the game in case an exodus left him without enough players.

The Argus revealed on Friday that Majeed had been declared bankrupt in the past and, to cap it all, top scorer Daryl Clare officially left Reds the day before the game after handing in a 14-day notice.

The players could not be blamed for not wanting to turn up after all that.

But, to their credit, they produced a performance that lifted some of the gloom around Broadfield Stadium.

They battered an appalling Scarborough side and gave everyone hope that avoiding relegation, something which seemed impossible a week ago, could be a reality.

Hollins said: "Full credit goes to the players because they have stuck to their task.

"They have made their noises but they have been professional and played. Once they crossed the line they had to put the effort in and they did that."

Some praise should also go to Hollins. Many managers would have walked out by now, especially those without a contract.

The chaos and uncertainty he has been left to deal with during the last two weeks was not in the job description when he took over until the end of the season last November.

But he has never hinted about quitting and is determined to lead Reds to safety, with or without his star players.

The fact he brought in Jack McLeod, 17, Michael Bostwick, 17, and Dean Pooley, 19, from the Lions proved he has not given up the ghost and that attitude has rubbed off on his side.

In the end he did not need the youngsters and left them to watch from the stand but he may do soon as more players are expected to go.

Club captain Ian Simpemba, who was not in the squad, is the latest.

Hollins said: "I don't know what will happen with him yet. There have been a couple of enquires and that is his business. He can do whatever he likes, as they all can unfortunately.

"I would not like to lose any of them but I'm just glad we have players with smiles on their faces who can go home and say we won."

The way Hollins set his team up must also be applauded. He tried a new 4-3-1-2 formation with Tony Scully operating behind the strikers in a free role and it worked perfectly.

The two sides looked poles apart in everything they did as Reds rose to the occasion, while Scarborough look destined to go down. It was fitting that Scully was the player who broke the deadlock three minutes before half-time.

The Irishman is one of the players to have taken most flak during the last two testing months, mainly because he is potentially Reds' most influential player.

On his day he is a match-winner but when he is not performing he disappears and frustrated fans have been quick to get on his back.

He was on form this time and lashed Reds in front with a volley from eight yards after a long throw by Paul Armstrong dropped kindly to him.

Substitute Omari Coleman, who replaced the injured Gavin Gordon after 23 minutes, netted the inevitable second 15 minutes from time with a close-range strike after shots from Steve Burton and Leo Mendy had been blocked following a corner.

It was Coleman's first goal since he joined in January and capped a promising individual display.

He was lively, strong and linked up well with the equally impressive Burton. Their partnership went some way to easing the pain of losing Clare.

Hollins said: "Omari has been looking very sharp. Stevie Burton did excellently as well. He was good at holding it up and took the kicks and knocks, which is what the frontmen are there for. They were a good combination."

Hollins is hoping for a repeat performance from his side in another must-win game against Forest Green Rovers on Saturday. But first he is bracing himself for another week of behind-the-scenes problems.