'He'll be a big part of getting us safe' - Crawley Town boss Scott Lindsey impressed by striker's work ethic

Oteh has now scored three goals in his last five games for Crawley which included a brace in victory against Harrogate Town.

The Reds were without a win in their last eight League Two games but thanks to the 24-year-old striker’s man of the match performance, they’re won step closer to safety.

“He’s scored his goals and worked his absolute socks off,” said Lindsey on Oteh. “He’s one player that’s really impressed me in terms of his outstanding work ethic.”

“Even when we haven’t played particularly well, like against Sutton (United), he’s running past players to make slide tackles in our box. He really gets a bit between his teeth which has got himself into the team and he’s adding goals now. He’s done great for us, and he’ll be a big part in getting us safe.”

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Lindsey has previously mentioned his ambition to improve Crawley’s discipline since his appointment at the start of this year. When asked if a strong ethic is what he looks for in his players, he said, “Yes it helps when our running distances are high.

“We normally win games when we are over a certain amount of distance. If we dip below, we normally lose.

“The sport scientist will come up to me during a game and tell me that we’re below where we should be or we are running hard, so we need to maintain that. So, it’s something that we monitor quite closely throughout the game.”

Lindsey understandably didn’t want to share the exact distance Crawley need to reach to put the odds in their favour against their opponents. However, the fact the Reds have been turned into a club that have a clear aim to work hard, puts them in good stead for their last 12 games of the season.

In League Two, Crawley are currently 23rd but only a point away from climbing out the relegation zone. If they’re able to win their next two games in hand, they could bypass Hartlepool in 22nd by five points.