Crawley have been foiled in their attempt to sign Salisbury striker Matt Tubbs.

Manager Steve Evans was keen to strengthen his forward line by bringing in Tubbs from the cash-strapped Whites.

Tubbs, 25, has been a prolific scorer for Salisbury since joining them in 2003 and was a key player in their rise to the top-flight of non-league football.

He scored on his debut for England C in 2007 and had a loan spell with Bournemouth last season.

Evans is desperate to shake up his attacking options despite being restricted by the club’s budget and allowed Jefferson Louis to join Rushden and Diamonds on loan last week in the hope of bringing in a new striker.

A move to sign former Albion striker Nathan Elder on loan from Shrewsbury fell through last week and now Salisbury’s administrators have blocked Crawley’s move for Tubbs, with general manager Nick Holmes insisting there is no pressure on the club to sell players.

Evans said: “We made a move for Tubbs through the proper channels and at this stage it has been turned down.

“We have to accept that decision but we will watch the situation at Salisbury with interest.”