Crawley Town have made their second transfer swoop in 24 hours and signed defender Connor Essam from Gillingham.

Essam made 18 appearances for the Gills after making his debut in February 2012 and also had loan spells with Luton Town and Dartford.

The 20-year-old has not figured for Gills in League Two this season.

Reds manager Richie Barker said: “We are delighted to have Connor at the club. He fits the template of players I want to work with. He is young with lots of potential and has a real appetite to learn and improve.

“Losing Claude Davis this week meant we had to strengthen this area of the team and we now have, in my opinion, four excellent central defenders."

Essam has signed until the end of the 2014-15 season.

Last night Reds signed Sierra Leone international defender Mustapha Dumbuya, 25, who was released by Portsmouth this month.