Reds striker has a lot to live up to

The striker became an instant hit with Crawley fans on Tuesday night when he scored twice on his first start since arriving on a month's loan from Stevenage.

Allen was the toast of Broadfield Stadium following the 2-2 draw with Exeter City - a result which ended a run of five consecutive defeats - but their was one keen spectator in the Broadfield Stadium stand who was not so impressed.

Allen's dad brought his son back down to earth with a bump after the match with his blunt assessment of his performance.

Plenty of players would have told their old man where to go in a similar situation but when he is a goalscoring legend you tend to take notice.

You see, Ollie Allen is the latest off the production line of one of the most famous footballing families in the country.

Not only is the 21-year-old the son of former Spurs and England striker Clive but his grandad Les was part of Tottenham's double-winning side in 1961. When you add his uncles - Bradley (QPR), Martin (QPR and West Ham) and Paul (West Ham and Tottenham) - and great uncle Dennis (Charlton, Reading and Bournemouth) it makes for a pretty decent kickabout in the back garden!

Ollie admits having such talented relatives has been a big help in his career so far but is also keen to begin making a name for himself in his own right.

He said: "I learned a lot from my dad and I still talk to him regularly about my game.

"He comes and watches and takes plenty of notes so he can tell me where I am going wrong. He was at the game on Tuesday and said I should have scored more than two.

"My grandad was there too. He was a pretty useful footballer in his day and he is probably my biggest critic. We call him The Coach' in our family because his decision is final.

"The whole of my dad's side of the family is heavily involved in football and they are always there to help and give advice when I need it. I speak to uncle Bradley quite regularly and call up Paul and Martin every now and again.

"But there is no doubt my dad has been the biggest influence on my career. He never pushed me when I was younger and we didn't really have kickabouts like other dads with their sons but he would always take time to talk me through things when I needed it and give me advice.

"I respect his opinion a lot because of what he achieved in the game and if I can have even half the career he did then I will be happy.

"I'm lucky to be part of such a footballing family but I also realise I've got to stand on my own two feet."

Allen's performance against Exeter prompted both Reds boss Steve Evans and assistant Paul Raynor to compare him to his illustrious father.

There was certainly a hint of the same poacher's instinct which helped Clive score 202 goals in 418 League games about Ollie's opening goal as he fired home from close range.

The way he grabbed the ball after Jon-Paul Pittman had been brought down in the box proved he had also inherited his dad's hunger for goals.

Allen added: "I've been compared to my dad a lot over the years. It used to frustrate me but I've got used to it now and take it as a compliment.

"I only got to see him live towards the end of his career when he was at West Ham and Millwall but I've seen lots of DVDs of him in action and there are similarities in the way we play - although I work a little bit harder than he used to!"

Allen will hope to build on his impressive display against Exeter when Reds welcome Salisbury to Broadfield Stadium tomorrow.

Goalkeeper Ashley Bayes returns after suspension along with James Krause but Dominic Shimmins is still ruled out with a cut eye and Lee Blackburn and Jamie Cook are rated only 50-50 after picking up injuries against Exeter.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS Crawley: Bayes, Krause, Stevens, Murphy, Wilson, Pittman, Bulman, James, Thompson, Allen, Cook. Subs from: Knowles, Vieira, Pinault, Dutton-Black, Blackburn, Carayol, Thomas Salisbury: Ryan Clarke, Bass, Cook, Asafu-Adjaye, Robinson, Sinclair, Turk, Fowler, Sandell, Tubbs, Feeney. Subs from: Bartlett, Brown, Darrell Clarke, Bond, Herring.