Tranmere have overcome a horrendous start to their season that left them flirting with the relegation zone throughout the early stages, and now find themselves comfortable with a 17-point gap over 23rd-placed Forest Green Rovers.
A large part of that is due to the guidance of the experienced Nigel Adkins, who originally took charge on an interim basis following the dismissal of Ian Dawes in September, after he had taken his side to just one victory in the opening seven league games.
Adkins initially struggled to pick up results for his team, but a 3-0 victory over Forest Green in November kickstarted a run of 12 wins and four draws in 23 games that has seen Tranmere rise up the table and into 15th place ahead of this match.
A large part of that climb away from the relegation battle is the Rovers’ fantastic form at Prenton Park, where they have won 11 of their 19 games and lost only six, making them the seventh-best club in League Two when playing in front of their home crowd this campaign.
The hosts now look destined to compete in League Two for the fifth straight season thanks to their excellent run of form since November, but Adkins’s team will still be hoping to finish the season on a high.
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As for the visitors, they currently reside in ninth place and are just a point behind seventh-placed Wimbledon, but a game in hand on eighth-placed Walsall and two over Wimbledon leaves Crawley in a strong spot to finish in the playoff positions come the end of the season.
The 2022-23 campaign saw the Red Devils retain their long-term place in the fourth division by the skin of their teeth as they finished in 22nd place and just three points ahead of Hartlepool United.
That was Crawley’s lowest finish in League Two since they joined the division for the 2015-16 season, and now just a year later they are looking to return to League One for the first time in nearly 10 years
