Crawley have been told to treat today’s relegation showdown as just another game.
Boss Dean Saunders is fully aware how high the stakes are ahead of the visit of relegation rivals Notts County this afternoon.
But he is concerned that the pressure on Reds to get a result could prevent them from carrying out the gameplan he has drawn up for them.
That is what happened in the 5-0 defeat at Walsall on Tuesday and last Saturday’s 2-1 setback at Scunthorpe which has dragged them into the bottom four in League One.
Saunders says his players failed to do the things he has drummed into them every day on the training ground since he took charge at the end of December in both those matches.
And he has demanded they return to the way of playing that saw them pick up six wins out of 11 games before their recent blip to give them hope of avoiding the drop.
Saunders said: “I think the players know what is at stake so they don’t need me to point it out for them.
“They are aware of the implications it could have on their contracts for next season, the league they are in and ultimately their standard of living.
“Obviously there will be pressure but if we just stick to the plan then we’ll be all right.
“I’ve instilled a way of playing that has got us out of trouble up to a point and we need to get back to that.
“We have been hard to play against up until the last game and that is because we had a structure of play we could always fall back on.
“If you have a structure which you go over and over every day in training then that should help when it comes to these kind of games where there is a lot at stake.
“It is like taking a penalty in the last minute. If you’ve practised where you are going to put it hundreds of times in training you have got a better chance of scoring when the pressure is on.”
Saunders has attempted to relieve some of the tension surrounding today’s match by insisting that defeat would not be fatal for Crawley’s hopes of staying up.
Reds are currently third from bottom in League One but are only below Notts County and Leyton Orient on goal difference and a point behind Crewe.
And the Saunders reckons it is the Magpies who are under more pressure to win despite the fact they have a game in hand on Crawley.
Saunders added: “We can still do it even if we lose this one but obviously it will make it easier if we win.
“We’re on 47 points and 53 should be enough so that is two wins.
“If we win this one need then we’d only need a result in one of the last two.
“Notts County have got to win. They have had a bad run of results so they will be as worried as we are.
“They have got Preston on Tuesday night which will be a tough game and this is going to be a tough game for them too as they won’t be looking forward to coming here.
“It is a small ground but the crowd are hostile and they have got behind us in every home game. Hopefully they will again today because it does make a difference.”
Saunders is expected to bring Darren Ward straight back into defence today following a foot injury while Marvin Elliott and Josh Simpson are likely to be on the bench.
Notts County are sweating over the fitness of winger Jamal Campbell-Ryce but they will otherwise have a full-strength squad from which to choose.
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