Defender Dave Woozley says the Crawley players are being forced out by mistakes made at boardroom level.

Players and supporters were stunned last week when chairman Chas Majeed put the entire squad up for sale and slashed wages by 50 per cent.

He claims the club could go under if spending continues at the current rate.

Defender Woozley, who is the players' representative, is currently in contact with the players' union to find out the legal implications.

The club are in breach of contract so players can now leave for free.

Influential midfielder Simon Wormull has already gone and more are expected to follow this week.

An exodus would almost certainly guarantee relegation for Reds, who remained second-bottom in the Conference following Saturday's defeat against leaders Accrington Stanley.

Woozley has hit out at owners the SA Group and says the players now have no choice but to go elsewhere to earn a living.

He said: "It has been a very difficult week. People have had a lot of emotional baggage to deal with.

"Last Monday we were handed a letter to say that 50 per cent of our wage would be cut and for the foreseeable future it is looking even bleaker than that.

"The players know it is our fault we are in the position we are but they have to take individual responsibiliy and look after their families. There are a lot of lads with children and wives and if the club puts you in a financial position where they cannot guarantee a wage, then I don't think anyone in any walk of life could begrudge you leaving."

He added: "We don't know what to do. A lot of lads are struggling to cover the money to get into training.

"There are no pre-empted plans. I know there have been rumours about us going on strike and not turning up for training but that is not going to happen.

"I am in contact with the PFA and through them the Conference and the FA to see if they (The SA Group) are legally allowed to do this because all the players have signed contracts in good faith assuming they were going to get paid.

"This was totally sprung upon us with no warning. We get paid in arrears so for the last month we have worked under the assumption that we were going to get full wages.

"There has just been a massive balls-up at boardroom level about finances. Whether it was over-ambition, it was a big mistake on their part."

If this was the last game for some of the Reds players they could not have wished to have signed off in a better way. They produced a stirring, gutsy performance and matched the runaway leaders for much of the game.

Every player was up for the fight and it needed something special to beat them.

Gary Roberts curled a wonderful shot into the top corner from the angle of the penalty area four minutes before half-time to extend Accy's unbeaten league run to 17 games.

It was the fourth time in six matches Crawley had been beaten by a single goal. At the same time the team directly above Reds, Tamworth, and the side below, Southport, both lost 5-0 to Grays and Exeter respectively. It was a performance which would have, in normal circumstances, left the supporters with some optimism.

They showed their appreciation at the end as the players took longer than usual to leave the field as they soaked up the applause for perhaps the last time.

The fans then turned their attention to chairman Majeed. They demonstrated after the final whistle with calls of "sack the board" and a sign which read "SAG Out", referring to owners the SA Group.

Manager John Hollins said: "We were excellent. We took on the top team and took them to task.

"I cannot fault the players for what they have done in the kind of week they have had.

"I told them they were in the shop window and to show individually how good they were because people were watching.

"I thanked them afterwards for their unbelievable effort and their strength and courage to go out and play.

"I don't know what the situation will be next week or who will still be here. As far as I'm concerned I will come in on Monday and work as usual."