CRAWLEY Town manager Steve Evans is taking nothing for granted despite his side’s 13-point advantage at the top of the Blue Square Bet Premier.

The Red Devils will clinch the title tonight at Bootham Crescent if they can beat Gary Mills’ York City and Luton Town lose at home to Kettering.

Six points from Crawley’s remaining seven matches, meanwhile, will be enough to secure automatic promotion to the Football League regardless of other teams’ results.

But, even though his side are unbeaten in 23 league games, Evans is not predicting an easy run-in starting with their meeting against City, who have been afforded big compliments from the one-time Boston United boss.

Evans said: “York City was always going to be a tough test. Our opponents have many excellent players and we also know how strong they are at home.

“They play football as we do, so it should be a great game. They are an excellent club, have great owners, a manager who is very talented and some of the best supporters in our league so we had better be ready.

“We know that only a top-class performance will be good enough to get us an acceptable result. We need six points to be champions but the Blue Square Bet Premier is a tough competition and they will not be easy to get.”

Crawley’s run without a league defeat stretches back to a 3-2 home reverse against Newport back in mid-October.

On the road, meanwhile, second-placed AFC Wimbledon are the only host team to have defeated Town in the league, although Manchester United and Dartford have enjoyed narrow 1-0 home wins in the FA Cup and FA Trophy respectively.

The Sussex Red Devils have won seven of their last eight matches – with the only blemish a 0-0 draw at Gateshead.

Unsurprisingly, Crawley also boast the division’s best goals for and against records, with just ten shipped in 19 Blue Square Bet Premier away matches.

Team-wise, Evans will decide whether to pitch former City striker Richard Brodie in against his old team-mates.

Brodie, who netted 37 times for the Minstermen last season, has struggled to break up the first-choice strikeforce of Matt Tubbs and Craig McAllister all season.

Ex-Salisbury hot-shot Tubbs has scored 34 goals, including 31 in the league where he has started 34 matches.

McAllister would be the most-likely candidate, therefore, to make way for Brodie, who has netted ten times during 2010/11 with 16 of his 38 appearances coming off the bench.

Nevertheless, Brodie has only hit the target three times in his last 17 outings and has not started any of Crawley’s last four games, although he was suspended for two of those matches after reaching ten yellow cards for the season.

Tubbs, meanwhile, has only netted once in those four fixtures.

Another former Minsterman Simon Rusk is less likely to feature with his last start in 16 appearances coming back in September and defender Scott Neilson is out with a broken toe.

Captain Pablo Mills could return in the centre of defence though after missing the last two matches with a twisted ankle.

Charlie Wassmer, 20, will make way if he is fit, while Willie Gibson is in contention for one of two positions on the right flank along with Glenn Wilson and David Hunt.

Crawley (probable): Shearer, Hunt, Mills, McFadzean, Howell, Simpson, Bulman, Smith, Torres, Brodie, Tubbs.


Match facts

Crawley Town are making their seventh Conference visit to Bootham Crescent still seeking their first win here.

In the series, City have won three times, with three draws, and the biggest success was 5-0 in 2006/7.

Scorers that day were Clayton Donaldson (2), Steve Bowey, Manny Panther and Craig Farrell.

The other victories were 3-1 in 2004/5 and 2-0 last term when Richard Brodie (pen) and Michael Gash were the marksmen.

The line-up on September 5, 2009, was: Ingham Purkiss, Sangare, Parslow, Meredith, Smith, Lawless, Barrett, Ferrell (Mackin), Gash, Brodie.

Along with Brodie other players to have represented both clubs include Chris Carruthers and Simon Rusk.

It happened on April 5

1933: Reg Baines hit a hat-trick in a 3-1 home win over Barrow and City were just below mid-table in Division Three North.

1963: Walter Bingley scored from the penalty spot as Torquay United were beaten 1-0 at Bootham Crescent watched by 4,901.

1969: 19-year-old John Andrews made his debut in goal in a 2-1 defeat at Rochdale and City were in the bottom four of the Fourth Division. Ted MacDougall was the scorer.

1980: Substitute Jimmy Walsh scored both goals in a 2-1 home win over Hartlepool United and City were 17th in the Fourth Division. The crowd was 2,711.

1982: City gained their first away win for five months when they beat Mansfield Town 2-0 at Field Mill. On the scoresheet were Gary Ford and Mick Laverick and the club moved out of the bottom four of Division Four.

2010: In an Easter Monday fixture, City beat Altrincham at Bootham Crescent 2-1 with goals from David McGurk and a last-gasp penalty from Richard Brodie. The crowd was 3,005 and City were fifth in the table.

Compiled by David Batters