Weymouth 3, Crawley Town 2.

Caretaker boss John Yems has warned his Crawley side they need to get their act together fast if they are to avoid being sucked back into trouble.

Reds went down to their third defeat in four matches in heartbreaking fashion at the Wessex Stadium after twice battling back from behind.

James Coutts struck the winner deep into injury time after Scott Rendell and Tony Scully had cancelled out a Stuart Beavon strike and a Dave Woozley own goal.

The result saw Crawley slip to just four points above the drop zone and Yems is eager to stop the rot before it is too late.

He said: "All the good work we have been doing seems to be slipping away and we have got to get hold of things quickly otherwise we are going to be in a dogfight.

"You don't become a bad side overnight but the defending last night was unacceptable and we cannot afford to keep making those kind of mistakes.

"It's the first time I have come off the pitch embarrassed with the way we have played. We have praised the players all season but now it is time for them to show what they are made of and fight for the club.

"We've got to bounce back. We've got to win four more games and we'll be safe and that starts on Saturday."

Crawley made two changes to the side which lost 1-0 at Morecambe on Saturday, one enforced and the other tactical. Marcus Richardson returned to the attack in place of the injured Elliot Benyon while Tony Scully replaced Lee Blackburn in midfield.

Richardson was keen to make an impression after spending two miserable months at the Wessex Stadium earlier in the season when he failed to make a solitary league appearance but he saw little of the ball in the opening stages as the home side dominated.

But despite having the majority of possession and forcing five corners in quick succession the closest the Terras came to taking the lead was when skipper Trevor Challis saw his goalbound header blocked by Magnus Okuonghae.

After a dismal start the game burst into life midway through the first half. Weymouth should have taken the lead in the 22nd minute when Beavon's clever backheel found Simon Weatherstone unmarked eight yards from goal but his shot was too close to Ben Hamer and the on-loan Reading goalkeeper was able to turn the ball around the post.

If that was a let-off for Crawley the home side were breathing an ever bigger sigh of relief two minutes later when Rendell's weak penalty was saved by Jason Matthews after Darius Charles had been brought down in the area by Tony James.

Rendell was left cursing Matthews again just after the half hour when his powerful header from Charles' cross seemed destined for the roof of the net only for the Terras goalkeeper to throw up a hand and deflect it over.

Reds were made to pay for those missed chances five minutes after the break when Weymouth took the lead. Ishmael Welsh beat Scott Hiley for pace down the left and Beavon got in front of his marker to turn his low cross past Hamer from close range.

Crawley's response was almost immediate. Raphael Nade attempted to head Charles' deep free-kick back to his goalkeeper and Rendell made amends for his penalty miss by nipping in to hook a shot inside the post.

Weymouth came roaring back and after Beavon had a goal disallowed for offside they regained the lead in the 73rd minute. Beavon wriggled clear of Okuonghae inside the area and Woozley could only turn his low centre into his own net.

Once again Crawley came back, this time Rendell's shot being well saved by Matthews but Scully was there to blast home the loose ball.

Reds almost grabbed all three points when Blackburn ballooned a shot over from six yards after a electricfying run by Scully but they were left with none as Coutts found space in the area and composed himself before placing a shot coolly inside the far post.

Weymouth: Matthews, Crittenden, Cottrell, James, Challis, Coutts, Weatherstone, Crawley (Platt 61), Welsh, Beavon, Nade (Robinson 78). Subs not used: Barratt, Dutton, Bell.

Crawley Town: Hamer, Hiley, Okuonghae, Woozley, Charles (Blackburn 74), Stephen Evans, Bulman, Bull, Scully, Rendell, Richardson (Sulaiman 86). Subs not used: Tolfrey, Marshall, Nayee Referee: M Mullarkey (Surrey).