While Crawley were among the pre-season promotion favourites, a run of just one win in their first ten games quickly put paid to any such hopes. Their form improved as the season progressed, with the West Sussex outfit 12th by 26 December. In March 2016, the club was purchased by Turkish businessman Ziya Eren, who set a target for the club to be playing in the Championship within 8–10 years. Following a run of 6 consecutive defeats, Yates was sacked just before the season ended, with Dermot Drummy appointed as his successor.