Connolly convinced promotion is certainty, but Crawley Town can bide time

The 25-year-old defender, however, is not in a rush for the play-off places this season and is looking more at the long-term picture.

Reds beat off plenty of competition from other clubs to bring the defender back at the start of the season when he penned a two-year contract.

The fans’ favourite has picked up where he left off at the Checkatrade Stadium, where he is just as well liked for his no-nonsense approach on the pitch as he is for his adhering nature off of it.

Connolly also speaks using his head and rather than reel off the cliched - we’re going for a play-off push - he voiced his ambitions to build slowly with the club needing ‘security’ first and foremost.

Just one game into the second half of the season, Reds sit 15th in League Two with 32 points from 24 games.

They are seven points off the play-off places and 11 clear of the bottom-two.

Connolly revealed: “When I signed I spoke to people at the club and knew I was not going to come in with money being thrown around the place and us get promoted straight away, I knew that.

“I spoke in pre-season all about getting the club secure and up the table. Right now, we are seven points outside of the play-offs, if at the end of the season we are in the play-off places then brilliant, everyone would obviously love that.

“At the moment, we are doing ever-so-well, taking small steps at a time and that’s what the club needs right now, security in the league and then look onwards and upwards from there rather than looking over our shoulders.