Crawley Town interim boss Lewis Young disappointed to see 'fantastic' defender go off injured at Colchester

Conroy has started every league game under Young, and has been a vital part of the Reds’ climb away from the League Two relegation zone.

Having returned from injury just three-and-a-half weeks ago, the 26-year-old could be ruled out for the foreseeable future.

“It’s really disappointing,” said Young. “He’s been fantastic since he’s come back from injury. He’s a brilliant leader by the way he carries himself and communicates with people.

“It’s hard to take but once we find out the extent of the injury, we’ll support him in any way we can.”

Crawley did well to come back against the U’s, after going behind in the 20th minute. Thanks to Ashley Nadesan’s and James Tilley’s goals, the Reds lead 2-1 early in the second half. But, unfortunately for Crawley, Colchester’s Junior Tchamadeu equalised in the 62nd minute.

“I was disappointed that we couldn’t take the game and carry on,” said Young. “We finished the first half really well and came out the blocks on fire but credit to Colchester. They showed massive fight and were fortunate to come away with the point.”

Young has transformed the atmosphere around Crawley since taking temporary charge over two weeks ago. Following the departure of former head coach Kevin Betsy, the Reds have won three games and are currently four games unbeaten in all competitions.

With eyes on taking the role permanently, Young needs his side to sure up defensively if they want to improve.

“The goals we conceded were disappointing,” said former full-back Young. “I’ve told the players that because we’ve got to keep up this run.

“Although we’re on a role, the bones of this performance weren’t as good as the last three have been.

“But on the flip side, there’s positives to take. I think the aggression of the performance to stand up to their experienced players was good.

“We battled and have come away like we did Saturday, with some bumps and bruises but hopefully the fans were impressed with a different side the team have shown today.”

The game at Colchester saw George Francomb start his first league game since the beginning of August. The returning skipper’s inch-perfect cross set up Nadesan’s equaliser just before half-time.

“It was good to see George starting,” said Young. “He’s our captain who leads us and he was brilliant.”