MARVIN IS A MARVEL ON DEBUT
HAVING watched Marvin Elliott destroy his side, Yeovil Town boss Gary Johnson was left to reflect ruefully on what might have been.
The former Bristol City midfielder signed for Crawley earlier this month after failing to earn a deal with the Glovers despite a lengthy trial spell in Somerset.
And he was outstanding for his new club, dominating in midfield before finding time to pop up with two headed goals to settle the game in Crawley's favour.
Elliott put the home side ahead on 57 minutes when he powerfully headed in a cross from Gwion Edwards.
And he effectively settled the game in Crawley's favour just two minutes later when he headed in again, this time from a Jimmy Smith centre.
Johnson, who managed Elliott at Bristol City, said:“When he was with us at Yeovil we felt he was a couple of weeks away from being fit enough to get into our team.
“We didn't have that time available to us and I already had other midfielders lined up to bring in.
“But we know what Marvin can do and of course players always seem to do it against their old team or their former managers.
“What he's got to do now is make sure he does it for Crawley every week now.
“The goals were typical Marvin Elliott and did things like that for me at Bristol City when we were one game away from the Premier League.
“Crawley have done well to get him fit and now he's ready to play they’ve got a good player on their hands.”
Elliott had to recover from hand and ankle injuries sustained in his final game for Bristol City before finding a new club.
And Crawley assistant boss Paul Groves is delighted with the impact the 30-year-old has had at the Broadfield Stadium.
Groves said: “He's a fantastic person in and around the dressing room and he’s a good pro for the other lads to look at.
“On the pitch he’s given us another dimension, he’s given us solidity in there and obviously he’s chipped in with the goals out there as well.
“When you consider how long he was out of the game with his injuries and the fact he hasn’t had a proper pre-season, it’s credit to him how he's looked after himself.
“I know he was training with Yeovil before coming to us, but for us Marv is a good fit with the qualities he brings to our side.”
Yeovil edged the first half and came close to an opening goal when Joel Grant's low shot hit the post but rebounded to safety.
They also saw Crawley keeper Jamie Ashdown make good saves to deny Kieffer Moore and Grant. But after the break the game belonged to Crawley – and Elliott in particular - as the home side scored more than one goal in a league game for the first time this season.