Former assistant manager Dave Swindlehurst has slammed the owners of crisis club Crawley after successfully suing them for unfair dismissal.

The former West Ham striker won an undisclosed figure from Chas and Azwar Majeed at an employment tribunal yesterday.

It comes two days after the Broadfield Stadium club confirmed they have applied to go into administration.

Swindlehurst was fired last September, two months after he had given up his job as a teacher to take the full-time position.

He was part of the most successful managerial team in Crawley's history after joining in 2003 but has revealed the Majeeds did not even talk to him after they bought the club last July.

Speaking for the first time since his sacking, Swindlehurst told The Argus: "He (Chas Majeed) has never spoken to me and he didn't even speak to me at the tribunal. He didn't speak to me from the day he walked into the club to the day I left.

"He never acknowledged me and never really knew what I was doing. He didn't even have the decency to ask what my opinion was on anything and I have no respect for him."

Swindlehurst is the fourth former employee to win compensation after being sacked. Manager Francis Vines was granted more than £5,000 in March, ex-chief executive Steve Duly was awarded almost £35,000 a fortnight ago and administration manager Ian Holman was given £3,700 earlier this week.

Swindlehurst's hearing was the first Chas Majeed appeared in person to contest and is another huge blow to Crawley's financial problems.

Swindlehurst said: "This is a moral victory more than anything else because it was the way things were handled which has been bugging me.

"I received a two minute phone-call by Francis (Vines) telling me that I wasn't required any more. That is why I have taken the action I have, it was a matter of principle.

"When you give up your job and then get sacked after just three weeks of the season, it is very galling.

"That was the main bone of contention for me because you just don't do that to people."

Swindlehurst is hoping the club can survive their financial meltdown.

He said: "I have a lot of feelings for the football club and the original people who were there and I don't want to see it plummet right down.

"We moved it from one place to a better place when we were there and achieved our objective of keeping it in the Conference which I'm pleased about.

"But I was never given an opportunity to voice my opinion about this season at all because I was only given three weeks before I was out."