SOMETIMES you cannot defend the indefensible and Crawley’s assistant manager Paul Raynor refused to look for excuses after watching his side's dwindling play-off hopes suffer another setback.

The boos which greeted the final whistle spoke volumes and when Raynor emerged from a 40-minute inquest after the lowest point of Crawley’s season he did not mince his words.

“It was the worst performance since (manager) Steve Evans and I have been here,” he said. “We might not be technically the best side in the league but we pride ourselves on making it difficult to beat us but they wanted it more. We got what we deserved which was nothing.”

Reds have now won just once in their last seven league games and unless there is an immediate improvement, starting at home to Lewes tomorrow, a season which promised so much when they led the table for six weeks in the autumn will fizzle out into an anti-climax.

Crawley fans already seem to guess as much. The gate of 964 was the lowest Saturday league crowd since August 30 and included more than 100 Salisbury fans generating what atmosphere there was.

Reds were not helped when goalkeeper Simon Rayner picked up a knee injury after a challenge by Matt Tubbs early on which gradually restricted his movement but blaming that would only paper over the cracks.

“We had a good first ten minutes but then people decided to do their own things, take too many touches on the ball and go away from the game plan,” added Rayner. “Simon's injury didn’t help but the level of defending in front of him was dreadful and we can’t make excuses. The boys have been told in no uncertain terms that that level of performance is not acceptable.”

A fully fit Rayner would probably have cut out Sean Clohessy's cross two minutes after the break which went in off Glenn Wilson under pressure from Charlie Griffin.

That enabled Salisbury to double the lead given to them in the 43rd minute when Darrell Clarke directed an unchallenged header from another Clohessy cross past Rayner. They were typical of the soft goals Reds have conceded in recent weeks.

There was still time for a response, but apart from Jon Shaw's shot on the turn which produced a brilliant reaction save from James Bittner, Crawley offered little and substitute Danny Webb fired a third deep into injury time.

It has been a while since Reds had such a collective off-day. Even the normally immaculate Jake Wright was fortunate to stay on the pitch for a tackle on Matt Tubbs after collecting a first-half yellow card.

Defensive partner Adam Quinn, who now faces a ban, was also booked in the same incident which had been sparked by Wright’s late challenge on Ian Herrine and led to a melee which needed calming down by referee Matt Stewart and both assistants.

Mr Stewart’s inconsistency baffled both benches but he was not the reason why Crawley lost. In midfield they badly missed Thomas Pinault’s creativity and although Isaiah Rankin did little to justify Evans’ decision to give him his first league start since August, his replacement Robbie Matthews made a negligible impact against his parent club.

Shaw worked hard but when he saw his goal-bound effort blocked by Michael Fowler in the third minute perhaps he, and his side, sensed it might be one of those days.

Bittner produced a terrific tip-over to keep out Lewis Killeen's header and then deny Shaw as Reds dominated in the first half hour but hardworking Salisbury grew in confidence and had gone close twice before striking either side of half-time.

All is not lost. In a season of peaks and troughs there could yet be another twist and Evans will be delighted that his side have a quick opportunity to put the memories of this behind them. It was his only consolation as he and Rayner picked the bones out of this horror show on Saturday night.

Crawley: Rayner, Wilson, Quinn, Wright, Rents; Killeen (sub: Forrest 53), Bulman, Chalmers, Malcolm (Weatherstone 72); Rankin (Matthews 53), Shaw. Unused subs: Napper, Gill.

Booked: Wright, Quinn (fouls).

Salisbury City: Bittner, Todd, Herrine, Clarke, Brough, Ademeno, Clohessy, Fowler (sub: Dutton 87), Ruddick, Griffin (sub: Webb 77), Tubbs.

Booked: Herring, Todd (fouls).