Jon Shaw rescued an unlikely point for Crawley with an equaliser in the third minute of stoppage time – but boss Steve Evans did not see it.

Evans spent the second half in the changing room communicating with his assistant Paul Raynor by mobile phone after being banished from the dugout by referee Simon Beck seven minutes before half-time for foul and abusive language.

The fiery Scot served an 11-match touchline ban earlier this season for offences committed last season with a further nine-game ban suspended. The FA may now act, depending on Mr Beck’s report.

Evans missed a gutsy fightback by the visitors. They were trailing 4-2 with seven minutes to go when Jon Paul-Pittman lashed home his 15th goal of the season from close range after Shaw had picked him out with a cross from the left.

Then substitute Shaw opened his account for the club from close range, twisting inside the six-yard box to guide a left-wing cross from Jake Wright home.

Assistant manager Paul Raynor said: “Defensively we had a horror show – that is something we will be looking to improve but we have always said that when it clicks our attacking play can cause any side a handful and even at 4-2 with us defending so badly I fancied us to get a goal and put them under pressure.”

Shaw has only made two substitute appearances since joining on loan from Rochdale three weeks ago as he recovered from a hamstring injury he suffered on his first day’s training with the club.

He said: “It’s been a long battle for me to get back to fitness. It has been frustrating because I have come down here and was looking to score a lot of goals and prove to Rochdale that I’m worthy of a career with them in the League.

“We kept battling and went for it with three up front and even at 4-2 we were still creating chances. Jake did superbly for the goal, I gambled by getting in front of my marker and luckily it’s gone in.”

Reds had got off to the perfect start, taking the lead after just four minutes when Adam Quinn nodded down Sam Rents’ free-kick and Rob Matthews swept home his first goal for the club.

It looked like being a good night for the visitors but instead the home side came storming back with two goals in three minutes.

On 13 minutes Michael Gash led a swift counter-attack before setting up Stacey Long, who beat Simon Rayner from close range.

Three minutes later Gash was allowed too much time at the far post to control Derek Duncan’s free-kick before lashing a volley into the top corner.

Long nearly got his second when his 34th-minute volley hit the bar and the home side looked to be in control when they went 3-1 ahead two minutes into the second half.

Midfielder Guiseppe Sole curled a right-foot free kick from 25 yards which gathered pace off the defensive wall and went in off the underside of the bar with Rayner helpless.

Reds’ assistant boss Raynor immediately went for broke by throwing on Shaw and switching to a 4-3-3 formation with Shaw joining Matthews and Pittman up front.

It paid dividends when Matthews won an important header inside a crowded six-yard box and Quinn slid in his ninth goal of the season. Pittman should have equalised in the 57th minute but dragged a left-foot shot wide and it looked like being a costly miss when the hosts re-established their two-goal lead midway through the second half.

Reds went to sleep at a corner and Jamie Hands slipped his pass into the path of Ricky Shakes to finish. It looked like a third successive league defeat for Reds but there is no doubting the spirit in their ranks as this Shaw-fired fightback showed.

Crawley: Rayner 6, Wilson 6, Quinn 6, Wright 6, Rents (sub Nayee 89) 6, Chalmers 6, Bulman 6, Weatherstone 6, Malcolm (sub Shaw 50 7) 5, Matthews 7, Pittman 7. Subs not used: Gill, Carter, Mills.

Booked: Wright (dissent, 60).

Ebbsfleet: Cronin, Stone, Duncan, Crooks, Smith, Barrett, Long, Hand, Shakes (sub Pooley 89), Gash, Sole. Subs not used: Purcell, Ibe, Judge, Ricketts.