Crawley head coach John Yems has praised the work striker Tom Nichols has put in for his side.

The 27-year-old has been the Reds main man since top scorer Max Watters left in January to join Cardiff.

He has scored three goals and picked up assist in his last five games for Crawley.

That has taken him to ten goals in the league so far this season.

But Yems was full of praise for Nichols and the tough punishment he has taken upfront.

He said: “I don’t know how he does it Tom because he just gets kicked all over the place.

“But sometimes if you are not playing at the top of your game it does not stop you working hard and Tom you look at him sometime and think he keeps digging it out for us.

“That reflects on the whole side.

“We have played three of the top nine teams in the league in the last four games and every one we have won has been a different style and we have stood up to it.

“Let’s hope we can just kick on we have a few players coming back from injury, that are itching to get back in the side and let’s just see how we go.”

Crawley host Mansfield tonight at The People’s Pension Stadium (7pm) having won their last four games.

Yems told The Argus: “It is no different to being away because there is no fans when you go away. You have to build your own atmosphere as a team, as a club.

“Of course you miss the fans because we have got a really good fans, but at the same time you are just happy to be playing football.”

and you just have to cope with it the best you can by creating your own atmosphere within the team.”

Walsall head into the game having suffered back-to-back 1-0 defeats to Cambridge and Barrow and sit 19th in the League Two table.