Happy Hollins

Reds ended their campaign in 17th place, nine points above the relegation zone, following a goalless draw at Tamworth.

Hollins has turned the club around since being appointed last November.

He had a rocky time at first and won just two of his opening 14 league games and suffered the embarrassment of an FA Trophy exit against Boreham Wood.

He had to endure a backlash from frustrated supporters and a mountain of off-field problems.

But that is now a distant memory following a magnificent run-in and Hollins is in a positive mood about the prospects for next season.

He said: "We have finished on 47 points and when I came we had 16. It has been a great achievement and a lot of credit goes to the players with the way they have reacted and learnt.

"From the last 11 games we had three draws, two loses and the rest were wins with clean sheets. That is very good and I am pleased.

"We have formed good habits and finished on a positive note. Now I want people to know that is how I want us to start the new season."

Reds had nothing to play for at Tamworth, which was unimaginable scenario only two months ago.

Then, this fixture was viewed as a potential relegation decider for both clubs.

That was still the case for Tamworth on Saturday, who needed a win to guarantee survival.

The Lambs were hoping that Crawley, severely weakened by injuries, would roll over again like they did in the 4-0 drubbing at Exeter last week.

Reds were without seven players and could only name four substitutes.

To fill the gaps, out-of-favour striker Jamie Cade was given his first league start since November and Jack MacLeod was drafted in on work experience from Millwall at the 11th hour to make his league debut.

They also had teenager Michael Bostwick, who has excelled in midfield of late, playing in the centre of defence for the first time.

But a nervous home crowd were left frustrated and disappointed as Crawley showed no compassion.

Their 100 or so fans, relieved they could enjoy the last-day pressure-free, chanted "going down" while the team showed the grit and resilience that has underpinned their recovery this season.

For long periods they looked the more determined side as they fought and chased everything.

Uninformed observers could have been forgiven for thinking Reds were the team fighting for their lives as Tamworth struggled to compete.

They were restricted to just two clear chances, a desperately poor return in a must-win game.

Both fell to former West Brom striker Bob Taylor. His goalbound header from a corner in the first half was blocked on the line by his own strike-partner Tris Whitman, who had a two-month loan with Reds earlier this season.

He then had a low drive cleared just as it looked to be going in by Ben Judge shortly after half-time.

Crawley should have been in front by then after Bostwick side-footed wide from close range following a Neil Jenkins corner a minute into the second half.

Hollins said: "I'm not concerned about them or anyone else, I'm only concerned about my own club.

"I was very disappointed to lose at Exeter and I didn't want to let the season just fade away by getting beaten.

"I wanted us to have a reaction and we got that, we came back with a vengeance.

"You can't start feeling sorry for other teams. You can only worry about doing your own job and overall I was very pleased with how we played."

Tamworth now face an anxious wait to discover if they will go down.

Forest Green's 2-0 win over Stevenage left the Lambs third from bottom above doomed Scarborough and out of danger.

But they may be relegated if Altrincham are successful with their appeal against an 18-point deduction.

Crawley are also still waiting to find out if they will be docked three points by the Conference for their financial problems.

Crawley's league record before Hollins appointed:

Pl 17, W 4, D 4, L 9, average points per game 0.9 Crawley's league record after Hollins appointed:

Pl 25, W 8, D 7, L 10, average points per game 1.24