It is a sign of the high standards set by Crawley manager Francis Vines that a Conference win is followed by talk of players getting dropped.

Reds moved up to seventh after edging out York City at the Broadfield Stadium, thanks to Danny Davidson's 11th-minute strike.

You might think victory against a side playing League football last season would leave Vines walking on air. But he is demanding good performances as well as results and that is not what he got.

Vines is warning that players will be replaced if they do not improve and has lined up two new signings this week.

It sounds harsh because Reds have only played seven games in their first season among non-league's elite.

Vines said: "The result was better than last week and the players worked harder but the quality is just not there at the moment.

"The back four looked as though they didn't know each other at times. It was embarrassing and our midfield for the last two games has not been at the races.

"Maybe some of them think they are too good and need dropping. Maybe that will do the trick, so who knows what the next week will bring as far as personnel is concerned?"

Vines believes inconsistent performances are the result of Crawley working on a part-time basis.

The players can only train together for six hours a week, while professional sides, like York, can do as much in two days.

He is taking some comfort, though, from the addage that the mark of a good side is winning without playing well.

Vines said: "Of course, given a choice, I would rather have the points than the performance.

"Overall, to say I am happy with our start to the season is an understatement. Who would have thought we would have 13 out of 21 points and have beaten two full-time sides?

"There's no real pressure on us, it is only from me and the players themselves. Ability-wise we are not lacking, but we don't spend enough time with the players.

"We need full-time football to get our performance levels up to the standard we want. We can't do that at the moment, so we have to make do but we can't put up with performances like that because we will get beaten by good teams."

The deciding goal came after a defensive mistake by Chris Clarke, who lost possession to Rob Traynor inside his own half.

The former Brentford professional raced clear before squaring for Davidson to curl his first league goal for Reds into the bottom corner.

An error by Crawley defender Ryan Palmer almost handed York an equaliser on 25 minutes.

He passed straight to striker Lee Nogan, who rounded keeper Phil Smith but delayed his shot which allowed Palmer to recover and clear off the line.

York could have also snatched a point in stoppage time, Clarke smashing a shot onto the bar from close range following a Darren Dunning corner.

Crawley should not have had to endure a tense finish because they had enough chances to make the game safe.

The best fell to Charlie MacDonald, who looked like a man with a point to prove. The Reds top scorer, fuming over speculation linking him with a move to York, was on a mission to add to his five goals this season and should have done so on 52 minutes.

He turned Clarke superbly and was left with only visiting keeper David Stockdale to beat, but the teenage custodian saved well.

The rebound came back to MacDonald, who lobbed over the bar as he tried to beat three covering defenders on the line.

MacDonald said: "We didn't perform particularly well. We worked hard but there was not much quality and we gave the ball away a lot. We have got to be happy with the points, but if we can get a bit more consistency and quality then we will do well this season."

Crawley: Smith, Judge, Hankin, Rees, Palmer, Simpemba, Traynor, Mapes, Davidson (Marney 64), MacDonald, Jenkins (Tait 71).

Subs not used: Little, Hemsley, Manuella.

York: Stockdale, Law, Merris, Donovan (Harrison 65), Pearson, Brass, Groves, Nogan (Yalcin 77), Dunning, Bishop (Robinson 68), Clarke.

Subs not used: Porter, Smith.