Crawley Town player ratings vs Lincoln City: Two 9s and several 8s as gutsy Reds end barren run

After a cagey first-half – in which the Reds limited the visitors to minimal clear-cut chances – the hosts took the lead immediately after the restart.

It was Will Swan who fired an unstoppable strike into the corner after he was played in by the lively Jeremy Kelly.

Swan’s second goal in as many home games was a much-needed confidence boost for a side which had lost the previous seven games in all competitions – and was without a win since the middle of August.

Lincoln pushed hard for a leveller but Ronan Darcy – who was been fantastic this season for the Reds – doubled their advantage with a superb solo goal.

It seemed the two goals would be enough for Crawley to pick up their first three points under Elliott – and hand Lincoln their first away defeat of the season – but substitute Rushian Hepburn-Murphy made sure of that with an ice-cold finish after a swift counter-attack.

Here’s how we rated the Crawley players:

Jojo Wollacott – 9: Comfortable in the first half and was commanding in his box. Caught every cross. Not the best of passes to Ibrahim who lost the ball and fouled his man. Did really well to keep out Tendayi Darikwa after Barker’s short back-pass. Exceptional after the break. A fantastic save at 2-0.

Max Anderson – 7: Brilliant pass cut open the defence early on. Swapped flanks with Flint temporarily but held his own wherever he ended up on the pitch. Replaced by Panutche Camara shortly after the hour mark.

Charlie Barker – 9: Almost a perfect performance from the defender whose only mistake was a poor back-pass at 1-0 but Wollacott saved his blushes. Brilliant pass for the second goal.

Toby Mullarkey – 8: Strong at the back all night.

Josh Flint – 8: His return from suspension is a much-needed boost for the Reds. Strong defending to stop some dangerous attacks. A threat going forward.

Jay Williams – 9: A solid performance and he was disciplined tonight too. Protected the defence well. A rock in the second half.

Bradley Ibrahim – 7: Struggled a tad in the first half and was booked for pulling down his man after he lost the ball in a dangerous area. So much better in the second half. Was applauded by the home fans for tenacious defensive work high up the pitch

Jeremy Kelly – 8: Lovely footwork in build up to first chance of the match. Loose pass after he did well to beat his man. Stand out player in the first half. Provided the assist for Will Swan.

Ronan Darcy – 8: Broke clear of the defence after some lovely Reds football but his cross was cut out. Speculative effort. Lost the ball in midfield as Lincoln threatened to equalise. What a finish for the second goal and what a season he is having.

Will Swan – 8: Was waiting for a tap in very early doors but the defender did well. Gave away a foul as he tried to work his way into a shooting position. A superb finish into the top corner to open the scoring at the start of the second half! Two goals in two home games - hopefully the flood gates open now. Replaced by Hepburn-Murphy for the final 25 minutes.

Armando Quitirna – 6: Quiet first half by his his standards. Seemingly picked up a hamstring injury and had to be replaced. Would be a big blow if he’s out for a prolonged period.

Substitutes:

Harry Forster – 7: Slipped at crucial moment in defence but his teammates managed to clear the danger. Otherwise was solid when he came off the bench.

Panutche Camara – 8: Fresh legs helped Crawley to keep control of the game. Inch-perfect pass for Hepburn-Murphy to kill the game.

Rushian Hepburn-Murphy – 8: A superb run but couldn’t find the finish to kill the game. He didn’t make the same mistake twice as he placed a cool finish into the bottom corner deep into injury-time.

Gavan Holohan – 7: Used his experience well to help his team seal a crucial win.