Crawley moved three points above second-bottom Hartlepool ahead of Saturday’s showdown at the Suit Direct Stadium after battling to a 0-0 home draw against Colchester.
The result also further moves the U’s away from relegation danger, putting them seven points clear of the drop zone with three games remaining.
Crawley boss Scott Lindsey went into the clash admitting he has been spending a lot of time working on boosting his players’ confidence, and he urged his men to “have a bit more swagger about them.”
The Reds had early chances and Aramide Oteh struck the outside of the post from 15 yards before top scorer Dom Telford shot wide from a good position after good work by Ashley Nadesan.
The U’s threatened on the half hour when, from a corner by Arthur Read, Luke Chambers headed against the bar from the far post.
Crawley keeper Corey Addai prevented Colchester from taking the lead shortly after the break when he turned a goal-bound shot from substitute Samson Tovide around the post.
Tovide later fired over as the U’s, chasing three straight wins for the first time since the turn of the year, enjoyed more possession.
Crawley were forced to hang on in the closing stages and Noah Chilvers shot wide for Colchester in front of nearly 500 travelling fans out of a crowd of almost 3,000.
