Crawley Town boss John Gregory is keen to add another two players to his squad before the transfer window closes after signing Gary Dicker on a short-term deal yesterday.

Former Albion midfielder Dicker has joined Reds from Rochdale until the end of the season and becomes Gregory’s second new recruit this month following the arrival of Matt Tubbs on loan.

Despite the arrival of the former Republic of Ireland Under-21 international Gregory knows his squad will be stretched to the limit by a hectic schedule of 22 games in the next 98 days and needs further reinforcements.

Gregory said: “We need a few more bodies in but I’ve always said we will not bring in people unless they are better than ones we have got and certainly with Gary he will improve the squad just with his presence.

“It would be nice to bring a couple more in as you never know what is around the corner with regard to injuries. “We are not missing too many at the moment and if it stays that way we are fine but if we lose two or three we would really be under pressure.”

Dicker’s arrival means Crawley now have six players who can play in central midfield but Gregory says his availability on a free transfer, following the end of a five-month deal at Rochdale, combined with his track record in League One convinced him to snatch the 27-year-old from under the noses of Scottish Premier League outfit St Mirren.

Gregory said: “Gary knows this division. He’s played about 150 matches at this level so it was a no-brainer for us. I spoke with Keith Hill (Rochdale manager) on Wednesday and he was glowing in his praise for the kid. “I’m just hoping he will come in and do well for us and in couple of months’ time we can sit down and starting talk about next year. “That is up to him. We’ve given him a platform and if he impresses then I won’t let him out of the building until he has extended his contract.”