Steve Evans has added to his Crawley squad with two new faces ahead of a crucial four days in their play-off bid.

Utility player Gavin Hurren, who Reds tried to sign in the summer, and defender Santos Gaia have joined until the end of the season and go straight into the squad for tomorrow’s trip to Cambridge United.

Hurren joined Mansfield last summer after two successful seasons with Kidderminster, where he made more than 90 appearances and played in the FA Trophy final.

Hurren, 23, started 15 games for the Stags and played in the 1-0 defeat at Crawley in September but he fell out of favour at Field Mill after the arrival of new boss David Holdsworth and linked up with Conference north King’s Lynn last month.

Evans said: “Gavin can play either centre-half or midfield. We tried to sign him in the summer but he got a good offer at Mansfield. It hasn’t worked out for him and he went to King’s Lynn to get games but they have problems of their own and when we knew he was available we were on to him straight away.

“When he played here against us for Mansfield he was detailed to do a marking job on Thomas Pinault but he can also play centre-half.”

Brazillian-born Gaia, 30, played 119 games in the Football League for Exeter before dropping into the Conference where he had spells with Stevenage, Grays and Halifax before joining Weymouth in August.

He was an ever present for the Terras but was allowed to leave last week along with the rest of the first-team squad, none of whom have been paid this year, with the club heading for administration.

“We knew Santos from his time at Exeter when he was very highly rated,” added Evans.

“Our ex-Halifax contingent know him because he had a spell there and he has been outstanding for Weymouth this season. He is a strong and powerful centre-half who can also play left-back.”

Reds need cover with defender Adam Quinn starting a two-match ban tomorrow and Chris Giles still some way off full fitness as he recovers from appendicitis.

Lewis Chalmers’ loan spell was cut short by Aldershot this week and with Pinault still a week away from a return, Hurren is expected to make his debut tomorrow although Evans can also call upon the services of fit-again Lewis Killeen.

Evans has targeted four points from the next two games to keep their play-off challenge ticking regardless of whether their appeal against their points deduction today is successful.

He added: “Burton are going to win it and I think Histon will finish second. They win so many points late on in games and that tells you that you are carrying a bit of luck and that things are running for you.

“So that leaves three places between Stevenage, Wrexham, Cambridge, Kidderminster, Kettering and ourselves and we still have to play all those sides so a lot will be down to ourselves.”

Reds produced the perfect response to last Saturday’s home defeat to Salisbury when they recorded their biggest league win of the season in Tuesday’s 5-1 success against Lewes.

Evans said: “We had none of the aggression and tenacity in our play against Salisbury which we normally have but I got just the reaction I expected from the players on Tuesday.

“Every game from now on has so much at stake so we need to keep producing that same high-tempo, energetic football in every game.”

Reds’ best win of the campaign remains the 5-0 FA Trophy success they enjoyed at the Abbey Stadium last month but Cambridge have reeled off four successive wins since then while five of the players who took part that night are unlikely to be in the Crawley line-up tomorrow.

Cambridge United (from): Potter, Gleeson, Tonkin, Carden, Bolland, Hatswell, Beesley, Willmott, Reason, Rendell, Challinor, Holroyd, McMahon, Pitt, Coulson, Crow.

Crawley (from): Rayner, Forrest, Rents, Gaia, Wright, Weatherstone, Bulman, Hurren, Malcolm, Shaw, Matthews, Wilson, Giles, Gill, Killeen, Carter, Rankin.