Steve Evans claimed Crawley’s second-half performance was the best under his management as his side earned a battling point to keep their Blue Square premier play-off hopes alive.

Reds were twice behind to goals from Matt Tubbs, a player Evans had tried to sign earlier in the season, but Barry Cogan and Glenn Wilson each scored their third goal of the campaign and Reds should have taken maximum points after dominating long spells of the second period.

Evans said: “I’m a proud manager because our second-half performance against a decent Salisbury side was the best under me, we were magnificent. We tore them to shreds, our passing and movement was quality.

“We got high up the pitch and if there is a criticism we just didn’t pick out that final ball which could have got us a winner.”

Evans had the rare luxury of a full-strength squad in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Luton but must have known it would not last. Sure enough, skipper Adam Quinn (thigh) and Ben Smith, whose goals sunk the Hatters, were absent. Smith traveled to Wiltshire but was unwell.

It forced Evans to switch to a 4-4-2 formation and top scorer Charlie Ademeno certainly benefited from having some support up front as Mikey Malcolm was pushed up.

Reds made a bright start and if Ademeno had not been so honest he could have won his side a penalty early on but elected to stay on his feet despite a strong challenge by Chris Bush.

But they fell behind in the 16th minute when Bush was allowed to make unimpeded progress into the box before finding Tubbs who was onside and unmarked as he turned to fire past an exposed Simon Rayner.

Crawley were level 11 minutes later with a well-worked goal. Malcolm clipped a left-wing cross into the box and Ademeno cushioned a header into the path of Cogan whose shot beat James Bittner with the aid of a slight deflection.

There was no stopping Tubbs, though, and he poached his 25th goal of the season ten minutes before the break with a clinical finish from 12 yards after Luke Ruddick’s shot rebounded off Glenn Wilson into the striker’s path.

Crawley adopted a win-or-bust mentality in the second half and they pinned the home side back.

The equaliser arrived after 53 minutes and was no more than they deserved. Broadhurst, captain in the absence of Quinn, met Pinault’s corner with a powerful header which was blocked on the line but Wilson reacted first to stab home.

Defender Aaron Martin headed a corner over but it was a rare moment of second-half alarm for Crawley who threatened again when Cogan made a lung-bursting surge down the right and teed up Malcolm but his goalbound effort was hacked clear by Martin.

The game became very stretched and Simon Rayner saved well from Darrell Clarke but it was Crawley who finished on the front foot.

Salisbury: Bittner, Clohessy, Bull, Bush (sub Flood 87), Martin, Ruddick, Anderson, Clarke, Adelsbury, Gray, Tubbs. Subs not used: Monhon, Connelly, Osman, Pryce.

Crawley: Rayner, Rusk, Wilson, Broadhurst, Rents, Cogan, Hutchinson, Pinault, Killeen (sub Forrest 79), Malcolm, Ademeno. Subs not used: Jordan, Napper, Carter, Raynor.

Booked: Wilson, Hutchinson Referee: Gary Jerden Attendance: 581.