Reds boss hails "fantastic achievement" (From The Argus)

Reds boss hails "fantastic achievement"

5:58pm Saturday 5th May 2012 in Sport By Steve Hollis

Reds celebrate promotion

Caretaker boss Craig Brewster hailed an amazing achievement as Crawley sealed promotion to League One on the final day of the season.

Scott Neilson scored the goal which clinched a 1-0 victory at Accrington Stanley on a tense afternoon at the Crown Ground.

With Southend winning at home to Macclesfield it meant Crawley had to take all three points to avoid the play-offs and they had to wait until the 67th minute to get the all important goal.

Brewster said: "Full credit to the players. I thought they dug in and never let the game out of their grasp.

"We knew Southend were winning so we had to win and thankfully we did it. It is fantastic for the fans and amazing for a small club like Crawley to be in League One."

Goalkeeper Scott Shearer made three vital saves in the opening 15 minutes after being recalled for the first time since suffering a serious knee injury nine weeks ago.

He said: "I thought I might miss this day so I feel very privileged to be part of it. It is the highlight of my career."

Promotion means Reds have gone from Blue Square Bet premier to League One in the space of two seasons and they can look forward to visits to clubs like Coventry City and Portsmouth next season.