Crawley wilted in the spring sunshine as defeat at Northwich left them still hovering just above the Conference relegation zone.

They took the lead but could not keep the upper hand and once behind did not figure as an attacking force again until the closing minutes.

They quickly established that height mattered. Marcus Richardson won all his aerial duels but it was Magnus Okuonghae who put them ahead.

Crawley had a period of sustained pressure and Elliott Benyon burst into the box in the 16th minute, rounded Phil Senior and then had to cut back and beat the goalkeeper a second time.

Mark Roberts ended the danger but Crawley sustained the pressure and with a minute had won a corner. Steve Evans floated the ball beyond the far post and Okuonghae used his head for accuracy rather than power, scoring just inside the upright.

It stung Northwich into action and Scott Hiley and Ben Judge both broke up dangerous forays.

A superb ball by Judge found Richardson in space but Roberts reacted quickly. Then Dave Woozley headed another Evans corner goalward but Senior easily fielded the ball.

Reds' keeper Ben Hamer was brought into action on the half-hour but comfortably collected a weak shot by Paul Brayson after James Dean had split the Town defence.

But Vics had built up a head of steam and kept Crawley on the back foot until the equaliser in the 36th minute. Dean played a short pass into the box and Roberts turned quickly to hammer the ball home.

Benyon picked up an errant pass by Roberts at the start of the second half and found Lee Blackburn in shooting position but Keiran Charnock charged down the effort.

Benyon headed a Judge cross wide at one end and Hamer raced out of his box to head the ball to safety.

But in the 56th minute Northwich forged ahead when Ryan Brown, Danny Mayman and Mike Carr combined for Brayson to finish from close range via a post.

Hamer did well to parry a shot by Brown soon after and Dean blasted the loose ball over the crossbar from two yards.

The goalkeeper then saved from Brayson and an Evans free kick drifted through a crowded area and out for a goal kick at the other end.

Crawley switched formation to 3-4-3 and pressed in the closing stages although the closest they got was a header by Woozley after he had outjumped Senior to meet a Hiley cross.

In injury time the visitors escaped when Hamer twice denied Kevin Townson as Vics broke quickly.