Crawley fans have been warned not to label Matt Tubbs the messiah.

The popular striker rejoined the Reds on a one-month loan deal from Bournemouth yesterday.

Tubbs scored 58 goals in 78 games in his first spell at Crawley, including 40 as they won the Conference premier title in 2011 and then another 18 in their first season in League Two before signing for Bournemouth in January 2012 for a reported £800,000.

However, the 29-year-old has struggled for opportunities at the Goldsands Stadium and returns to the Checkatrade.com Stadium having netted just once in 21 games on loan to Rotherham this season.

Crawley are keen to extend Tubbs’ loan deal beyond the initial month, possibly to the end of the season, but chief executive Michael Dunford insists it is important not to expect too much from the player.

He said: “Matt was always a target, he is a firm favourite with the fans, we know how much it means to them but like everything else he will be judged on what he does on the pitch. It is a football club, not a circus.

“We hope he can contribute to the squad we have already and you don’t know, there might be another player or so coming in before the end of the window to supplement it even further.

“We are delighted he is here, he will give John (Gregory) a further attacking option and he is overjoyed about being here. This is his ancestral home so to speak.

“We don’t want to heap pressure on him. He is not the messiah coming back or anything like that but he has an important role to play and if he can recapture anything like the form he showed, albeit in divisions lower than we are playing at the moment, then we will be happy, he will be happy and our supporters will have very broad smiles on his faces.

“Matt has really put his reputation on the line coming back here. If he fails, and we hope he doesn't, he is going to lose a few friends.”

Dunford revealed Crawley will look to extend Tubbs' stay, as long as the first month goes well.

And he also hopes there may be more new arrivals in January.

He said: “Initially it is for a month. We would love to extend it because if we extend it, it would mean he is doing extremely well for us.

“We want to go forward, we don't rule out getting into the play-offs. If we can construct something that is right for the squad and right for our finances then we will certainly strengthen the squad further.”