Crawley fought back from two goals down to claim an unlikely point at Coventry City.

Reds looked to be heading for their fourth away defeat of the season after the Sky Blues punished poor defending to go 2-0 in front after 27 minutes through Josh McQuoid and Simeon Jackson.

But John Gregory’s team staged a remarkable comeback with two goals in the space of four minutes from Gwion Edwards and Izale McLeod.

It was the first time Reds had come from behind to earn a point this season and the first time they had registered a goal on their travels in the league since the opening day of the season.

The result saw Crawley drop one place to 14th in League One, just ahead of the Sky Blues.

Coventry have tended to start quickly this season and wasted little time in putting the Crawley goal under pressure.

John Fleck almost punished the Reds defence from standing off him when he struck a post from 20 yards with just 70 seconds on the clock.

Crawley looked vulnerable every time the Sky Blues came forward and Ashdown had to claw a header from Andrew Webster around a post.

It seemed only a matter of time that the hosts would take the lead and the inevitable happened in the 14th minute.

Ashdown was at fault as he spilled a free kick from Fleck at the feet of McQuoid who poked it over the line from close range.

Reds fell further behind in the 27th minute when the Sky Blues took advantage of more hesitant defending.

McQuoid was given time and space to slip the ball through to Jackson who fired a low shot inside the far post.

At that point Crawley looked dead and buried but they turned the game on its head in the space of four minutes.

This time it was the hosts who were guilty of sloppy defending as they gifted the ball to McLeod deep inside their own half. The Reds striker fed Edwards who cut in on his right foot to curl home an unstoppable shot into the top corner.

The same pair combined to level the scores in the 37th minute with Edwards causing indecision as he burst into the box. Both goalkeeper Ryan Allsop and centre back Webster seemed to hesitate as the ball ran free with McLeod reacting fastest to poke it home.

Having got back on level terms Crawley almost undid all their hard work on the stroke of half-time. Dean Leacock slipped in the area to give Jackson a clear sight of goal but his shot was superbly blocked by Lanre Oyebanjo.

After the drama of the first half the second was something an anti-climax.

Reds were happy to sit back and defend what they already had and Coventry were unable to find a way through.

Jackson went closest to restoring Coventry’s advantage when he fired just wide from the edge of the area while Danny Pugh was just unable to stretch enough to guide a scuffed shot from McQuoid home.

Coventry (3-5-2): Allsop, Willis, Webster, Hines; Phillips (Clarke, 38), O’Brien, Thomas (Coulibaly, 77), Fleck, Pugh; Jackson, McQuoid (Miller, 86). Subs not used: Burge, Barton, Tudgay, Finch.

Crawley (4-2-3-1): Ashdown, Oyebanjo, Sadler, Leacock, Walsh; Elliott, Keane; Bawling (Young,60), Smith, Edwards; McLeod (Harrold, 86). Subs not used: Jensen, Bradley, Banya, Tomlin, Wright.