Matthew Etherington wants to build Crawley side with ‘pace and threat’

New Crawley boss Matthew Etherington plans to build an attacking side with “pace and threat” after getting his tenure off to a winning start with a 2-0 home victory over Swindon.

Late goals from Nick Tsaroulla and Jack Powell gave Etherington the perfect boost as the Reds made it four home League Two wins out of the last five.

The former Peterborough Under-21 coach has taken the helm on an 18-month contract after Crawley opted not to appoint interim boss Lewis Young, with Kevin Betsy having been sacked after four months in early October.

Etherington, 41, said: “I’m delighted with the performance and the clean sheet.

“The most pleasing aspect was how we were out of possession. I got a very positive reaction in terms of desire and work ethic from the players.

“I want us to be attacking with pace and threat and to get shots off on a consistent basis.

“There is definitely talent within the squad. There has been a lot of turmoil in terms of what has gone on here with the change of manager, but hopefully with some continuity we will work our way up the table. “

Swindon head coach Scott Lindsey was left to reflect on a match where several of his players picked up injuries, the most serious concerning Saidou Khan.

The former Chesterfield midfielder was taken to hospital after his head collided with the knee of goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe, and Lindsey said: “It’s a bad one by the sound of it and he’s been taken to hospital.

“It was a real bad knee to the head from the keeper.

“We lost Luke Jephcott after a kick to the shin, Tom Clayton was uncomfortable for most of the game and Ben Gladwin had to go off with hamstring trouble at half-time.

“We are in a bad period at the moment and this was our first back-to-back defeat.

“There was no guile, no know how at the top end of the pitch. In general, the performance was not good enough.”

The Robins, who have slipped out of the play-off places, have not won since spanking Mansfield 5-2 on October 29, and Lindsey added: “We’ve got to do better and I promise you that we will.

“It’s always difficult to play against a team with a new manager, and unfortunately our attacks fizzled out to nothing in the final third.”