Crawley Town 2 Morecambe 0: Gabriele Cioffi makes winning start in first game in charge
Well-taken second half goals by Ashley Nathaniel-George and Panutche Camara earned them their third win in their last four league games.
Receiving a big cheer when he was introduced to the home crowd for the first time before kick-off, Cioffi named an unchanged team from that which beat top of the table Lincoln City last week.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdMorecambe made three changes with Kevin Ellison, Joe Pigott and Jordan Cranston coming into the starting line-up.
Reds started brightly with Panutche Camara looing sharp with two early chances which did not find the target, one of which was deflected wide for a corner.
Filipe Morais went close with a shot from the edge of the area, receiving a ball from the right from Ollie Palmer, he fired narrowly wide.
Morais then had another chance from a similar position which he lifted well over the bar.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe game came to life in the second half when Ashley Nathaniel-George made a great run through midfield and buried his shot into the right hand side of the net from the edge of the area.
Boss Cioffi showed his passion by running 25 yards on the the pitch to celebrate with his players, which promptly earned him a yellow card.
Camara scored a second goal four minutes later when he robbed a defender, rounded ‘keeper Barry Roche and scored.
Morris made his second save of the game in great style to maintain their two-goal lead as Reds went on to seal victory.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdCrawley Town (4-3-3): Morris, Young, Connolly, Palmer, Francomb (Poleon 61), Nathaniel-George (Doherty 83), Maguire, Bulman (Payne 75), Morais (capt), Camara, N’Gala
Unused subs: Mersin, McNerney, Gambin
Morecambe (4-4-2): Roche, Mills, Old, Fleming, Ellison (Mendes-Gomes 80), Yarney, Wildig, Mandeville, Piggott, Cranston, Leitch-Smith
Subs: Szczepaniak, Oliver, Lavelle, Oates, Sinclair, Hedley
Referee: Alan Young
Attendance: 1895 (86 away)
Man of the Match: Ashley Nathaniel-George