Crawley boss Scott Lindsey admitted Klaidi Lolos would be too good for the League Two play-off hopefuls if he added more goals to his game following his brilliant winner against Harrogate.
The 23-year-old Greek striker sealed a 2-1 comeback win when he slammed in a thunderbolt from the edge of the box after he had deftly lifted the ball from his right foot to left.
He had earlier teed up Harry Forster for a second-half equaliser to cancel out George Thomson’s 13th goal of the season for the hosts.
Lolos’ match-winning goal was only his sixth league effort of the campaign, however, and Lindsey said: “It was an unbelievable goal and a great bit of skill. He has terrific technique and, if he could add goals to his game, I don’t think he’d be with us in League Two.
“He could play a lot higher. There are a lot of occasions when he drives into the box and, then, wants an extra touch, but we’re coaching him to make the right decisions at the right moments, because he has so much ability and I don’t think there’s a ceiling for him.”
Victory kept Crawley within striking distance of the play-off positions and Lindsey is challenging his players to target a top-seven finish.
“Their goal rocked us a bit, but the message at half-time was that we are in a position and a point in the season where we need to win games,” he said. “Our season isn’t over and I keep banging that drum with the players.
“We’re still alive and kicking and right in there with a chance. I wanted their keeper to be busier than he had been and for us to be braver and more of an attacking threat and we certainly were in the second half.”
A run of six games without a win, meanwhile, has seen Harrogate’s own promotion aspirations doused with manager Simon Weaver lamenting the defensive efforts of his side, who have kept just one clean sheet in their last
19 home games.
He said: “I’m disappointed with the way we came out for the second half, because everything was there for us to go on and get a result after the first half. We’d scored a fantastic goal and were doing the gritty side of the game well.
“But we did not defend anywhere near well enough to cope with the pressure they put us under at the start of the second half. We had enough numbers back for their goals but there were individuals who were two yards off play.
“You have to get closer and make a tackle and we’ve got to find a way to fight ourselves out of this blip, because I don’t want us to limp over the line this season through malaise and a lack of adrenalin.
“We’ve got to show a consistent energy and desire to make a difference.”