Jimmy Smith has revealed there were no snow days for Crawley’s players during the recent bad weather.

Harry Kewell gave them homework during their ten-day break from matches.

Now Reds hope it pays off as they plan a push for the play-offs.

Kewell told his squad to do their own fitness work and keep him posted when recent snow and freezing conditions made it impossible to train.

Then he gave most first-teamers a run out in the midweek Parafix Sussex Senior Cup win over Saltdean to compensate for the postponement of last Saturday’s visit from Wycombe in League Two.

Reds return to league action at home to Morecambe tomorrow.

Smith, eyeing a double-figure goal return from midfield this season, told The Argus: “Our manager is proper on to us so we had sessions every single day “We had to go to our local gym every day and it has probably been harder than normal training.

“Everyone has had to send in information on what sort of programmes we have been doing.

“The snow and the pitches in Crawley didn’t help but he trusted us to do our own sessions and send in evidence of what we have been doing.”

Kewell has drilled a new way of playing into his squad and they are six points off seventh place.

But Smith accepts it has not always been easy.

Some frank talking as a group off the pitch helped them turn things around.

He said: “At the start of the season we were adapting.

“I think we have taken that on and we are working hard in training and in team meetings.

“Everyone knows what they have got