Crawley boss Francis Vines has put a goalscorer at the top of his summer shopping list after losing patience with his strikers.

Reds failed to score for the fifth time in seven league games against an Exeter side that played the final 15 minutes with ten men after Marcus Martin was sent off.

Vines replaced last season's top scorer Charlie MacDonald with target man Steve Burton from Scarborough two weeks ago.

The 21-year-old had his best game since his arrival, holding up play superbly and showing clever touches as he consistently brought team-mates into play.

But Vines admits Burton is not the fox in the box he needs if Crawley are to seriously challenge for the Conference play-offs next season.

He said: "Steve has come in and done well but I would like to see him score more and do more work closer to goal. He needs to be more selfish.

"The sad thing about a lot of the footballers now is that they all want to look good.

"They want to drop shoulders and run past people like Ronaldinho.

"Where is that useless big lump who sits in the middle of the box and the ball just hits him and goes in?

"I don't want a guy who looks fantastic and scores ten in 50 games, I want the one who looks rubbish and scores 30."

Vines had just watched Dan Marney and Allan Tait miss good chances before and after Gareth Sheldon's winner.

Marney's tame side-footed effort was saved by the feet of keeper Paul Jones on 22 minutes after great work by Burton.

Then substitute Tait somehow blasted over from just inside the box on 76 minutes after Simon Wormull had broken the offside trap and unselfishly squared across goal.

Exeter have the sort of player Vines is looking for in veteran Steve Flack.

The former Cardiff forward, 34 next month, was a real handful as Exeter dominated for an hour.

He gave centre backs Ian Simpemba and James Donovan a torrid time, winning virtually every ball in the air with his uncompromising, physical approach.

He twice went close early on, firing wide from close range and then headed just over.

Flack then smashed a volley against the foot of a post a minute after half time after a quick throw-in by Alex Jeanin caught Crawley napping.

Simpemba, who returned from a two-match suspension, admits he lost the battle against the former amateur boxer.

He said: "James and I let Flack beat us up right from the start and that put them on the front foot.

"We don't normally let centre forwards do that. He was a real handful and is a good player but we shouldn't have let him have the chance."

Reds were perhaps paying too much attention to Flack when they conceded the goal on the stroke of half-time.

For once a free-kick into the box from Jeanin did not find the big striker's head and was instead nodded down by defender Chris Todd.

The ball fell to Sheldon to blast through a crowded goalmouth and into the top corner.

It was no more than he deserved after he had twice rattled the woodwork.

The ginger winger, who scored a free-kick in Exeter's 3-2 win against Reds earlier this season, had a curling effort tipped onto the inside of a post by Andy Little after three minutes.

He then hit a 30-yard drive which clipped an upright ten minutes later.

The Grecians hit the frame of the goal for the fourth time on 55 minutes when Martin's snap-shot rebounded off a post with Little well beaten.

Martin swung the game in Crawley's favour 20 minutes later when he was sent off for a second bookable offence after foolishly kicking the ball away at a free-kick.

Reds poured forward and Tait should have taken advantage a minute later.

Wormull summed up a disappointing afternoon for the hosts when he volleyed high over 11 minutes from time after the ball dropped to him unmarked and in space on the edge of the area.

Defeat leaves Reds with only one win from their last nine games and ends play-offs hopes.

Vines is demanding more from his players in the final two games, starting against Stevenage tomorrow.

He said: "As far as the players are concerned every game should be important.

"If they want to be part of what we are trying to achieve at the club they have to give me 110 per cent and they are not giving me that at the moment."

tom.gurney