Crawley Town v Colchester United preview: Is this the biggest week in Reds' history with crunch games against Us and Hartlepool United?

The first of these games comes on Tuesday night as Crawley welcome Colchester to The Broadfield Stadium. A win for either side would be huge with Crawley looking to move one point behind their opponents and Colchester looking to extend the gap to seven points. If Crawley can pick up three points and Hartlepool are defeated by Salford City, then the Reds will be five points clear of the relegation zone going into the huge clash with Hartlepool at the weekend.

It’s a massive game in the battle for survival and both teams will be desperate for three points. Colchester come into the game unbeaten in their last six games, with four draws and two wins. Last time out The U’s gained an impressive 1-0 win over Salford City, which moved them away from the relegation zone.

The away form has been impressive for Colchester with just two defeats in their last ten games on the road, with those defeats coming at Carlisle and Bradford. Crawley boss Scott Lindsey will be very familiar with Colchester boss Ben Garner. Garner was manager of Swindon Town last season, where Lindsey was his assistant. The pair will understand each other's styles of play and it could make for an interesting tactical battle in the dugouts.

Crawley will hope to have picked up some momentum from Saturday’s win over Tranmere, which lifted them out of the relegation zone. Corey Addai’s redemption with the penalty save would have boosted confidence around the camp and it may be a season defining moment. With key players such as Nick Tsaroulla and Ben Gladwin coming back into the side from injury it has given the club a huge boost in their hopes for survival.

Another win on Tuesday would mean the world to Crawley and the fans who have had to endure a torrid season.