Crawley Town boss Rob Elliot finally tasted victory as his side ended a run of six straight defeats in Sky Bet League One with a commanding 3-0 win over Lincoln City.
The Red Devils delivered an inspired second-half performance, with goals from Will Swan, Ronan Darcy, and substitute Rushian Hepburn-Murphy securing Elliot’s first triumph in charge. The win ended an away unbeaten run for Lincoln stretching back more than ten months.
Strong Second Half Lifts Crawley
The hosts started brightly, almost taking the lead within two minutes as Ronan Darcy’s effort was cleared after a clever setup from Max Anderson. However, Lincoln had a golden opportunity to break the deadlock midway through the first half. Erik Ring delivered a perfect cross to Dom Jefferies at the far post, but the midfielder could only send his shot over the bar.
As the first half progressed, Lincoln grew more threatening. Jefferies came close to scoring when his in-swinging corner rattled the far post just before the break, leaving Crawley relieved to go into halftime with the score still level.
The second half saw Crawley take charge almost immediately. Just one minute after the restart, Will Swan pounced on a perfectly timed through ball from Jeremy Kelly and rifled a shot into the roof of the net at the near post, putting the Red Devils in front.
Lincoln responded with their own chance as Ethan Hamilton tested Crawley goalkeeper Jojo Wollacott with a low drive, but the shot-stopper was equal to the task.
Crawley extended their lead in the 73rd minute when Darcy raced onto a long ball forward, calmly drilling his shot into the bottom corner beyond the reach of Lincoln keeper George Wickens, effectively putting the game out of reach for the Imps.
Any hopes of a Lincoln comeback were extinguished deep into stoppage time when substitute Rushian Hepburn-Murphy latched onto a pass from Panutche Camara and added a third goal to seal the victory.
Writer’s View
This was the performance Crawley Town desperately needed. After six consecutive defeats, Rob Elliot’s side showed resilience and a clinical edge in the second half. The decision to bring on Rushian Hepburn-Murphy paid dividends, as his stoppage-time goal sealed a deserved win. Lincoln, on the other hand, will regret missed opportunities and need to rediscover their scoring touch soon.
