Crawley striker Steve Burton today revealed his hatred for Scarborough manager Nick Henry and said: "I want to make him pay for what he did to me".

Burton will be reunited with former boss Henry when Reds travel to the McCain Stadium tomorrow.

It will be the first time Burton has faced the Seadogs since his acrimonious departure last season.

Burton scored four goals in six starts for the Yorkshire club but fell out with Henry after he missed training because his brother was involved in a car accident.

He was banned from training with the first team and from going to the ground.

He almost quit the game before going on loan to Leigh RMI and Canvey Island.

Henry is under pressure following Scarborough's poor start to the season, which has yielded three wins from 12 games. The former Oldham midfielder was given a vote of confidence by chairman Malcolm Reynolds this week as the club tried to stave off growing criticism from supporters.

Burton would like nothing more than to add to his problems.

He said: "I have never looked forward to a game as much as this one.

"Hate is a strong word but I can say that I absolutely hate the manager and everything to do with the club. It would be great to go there and put one over on them.

"He (Henry) is a strange guy. I had personal problems off the field when I was there but he didn't take that into consideration.

"He just seemed to want to upset me and give me the hardest time possible. He would not let me train or play and said he didn't want me anywhere near the club.

"I had the best goalscoring record but he just wanted to get me out. I was close to giving up the game altogether and I want to make him pay for what he did to me."

Burton could be denied his chance to punish Henry after picking up an injury in training on Tuesday.

He said: "I tore a small muscle in my buttock when I was striking a ball. I would be absolutely gutted if it ruled me out but I don't think it will because I have got to play.

"I'm going to have loads of treatment and plenty of rest to try to get it right, so fingers crossed, I will be okay."

Burton believes the promising partnership he has struck up with Daryl Clare will provide the goals to take Crawley away from the Conference relegation zone.

The pair have netted five in seven games since Clare joined from Boston United. Reds had managed just one in the previous five matches.

Burton said: "We are beginning to get a really good understanding and I'm enjoying playing with him."

Rob Kember (ankle) and Danny Brown (foot) are the only injury concerns for Crawley.

l Manager Francis Vines says experienced striker Efan Ekoku could become an option for Crawley.

The 38-year-old former Wimbledon, Norwich and Sheffield Wednesday frontman has been training with Reds for the past month and played for the reserves in Tuesday's 2-1 defeat against QPR.

Vines said: "He has only played two lots of 90 minutes in three years and his legs are not what they used to be so you can't expect him to play in the Conference at the moment. But he is still a good player and has a lot of experience so he could become an option for us."