The Crawley Town co-chairman Preston Johnson stepped into the dugout for Friday’s match against Stevenage, following the departure of manager Matthew Etherington on Thursday. Johnson’s decision to take on a “more direct, hands-on role” did not pay off as Crawley were beaten 3-1 by their promotion-chasing hosts. Amid growing disarray for the club and its owners Wagmi United, Crawley confirmed before the game that the assistant coach Darren Byfield would take charge at Stevenage and for Monday’s game with Newport, with Johnson “also in the dugout to show his support”. Etherington lasted just 32 days in the role after Kevin Betsy’s departure. “It’s no secret that this season hasn’t gone the way any of us who care about the club had hoped or expected,” Johnson added in the statement. “After a half season of consistently unacceptable results, it has become clear that significant changes are required to set things right, both on and off the pitch. That is why I have opted to fly back to the UK and take a more direct, hands-on role during this crucial period.” Johnson, who intends to appoint a permanent successor to Etherington in the coming weeks, added: “It is imperative that we use these next two games to gather as much information about our current squad as possible to inform our actions in the transfer window. That includes selecting players who have received fewer opportunities in league contests to date.” “I look forward to working collaboratively with Darren and the staff to ensure that we are utilising this interim period as effectively as possible to set the club up for a productive January and for greater success in the long-term,” added Johnson, a founder of the Wagmi United cryptocurrency investment group that bought the League Two club in April. “I know that many supporters are disappointed and angry about the current state of the club. I hear you, and I share your frustration and take responsibility for that,” Johnson concluded. Crawley made five changes from the home defeat to Sutton on Boxing Day but quickly fell behind at the Lamex Stadium, with Jordan Roberts scoring after just 10 minutes. Carl Piergianni secured victory for Stevenage with two headed goals in the 40th and 83rd minutes. Dominic Telford’s late penalty was little consolation for Crawley, who stay 20th in the table. After the match, Byfield was keen to play down the notion of interference from the club’s co-chairman. “I don’t know too much about everything. I said the same to the players: don’t let anything outside of the game interfere with what we’re doing out there,” he said. Preston has flown in … and shown he is dedicated to the football club. I know the fans are upset but whatever I’m told to do here with the players, I’ll do to the best of my ability. The fans pay their money, we clap them, we listen to what’s going on and we just try and implement what we want from the boys.” The Stevenage manager, Steve Evans, led Crawley into the Football League in 2011 and expressed concern at the chaos affecting his former club. “I leave here with real genuine thoughts that Crawley Town sort themselves out because it’s a club that’s deep in my heart,” Evans said. “We can’t stop our players reading what’s been online for a couple of days about the situation with Crawley. I asked our players to ignore it, but sometimes you can’t get it out of their heads. I thought we played really well in patches, not so good in others. Our quality was a little bit missing at certain times tonight. Johnson’s touchline cameo came the day after Etherington was sacked as manager just three games into his tenure, while the sale of striker Tom Nichols to relegation rivals Gillingham has caused consternation among players and fans.