Conor Henderson has been backed to cement a regular spot in the Crawley team.

Henderson, 23, marked his first appearance for more than a month by coming off the bench to curl home an 89th-minute free kick against Walsall on Tuesday night.

The former Arsenal midfielder has struggled to adapt to the demands of League One since joining Reds in the summer but assistant manager Paul Groves is confident his ability will begin to shine through following his match-winning impact against the Saddlers.

“There is a huge difference between academy football, which is where Conor has come from, and playing in the league and it can take time to adapt and grasp how different it is,” said Groves.

“Some can and some can’t but I think Conor has the qualities to play in the team on a regular basis. It is about finding a level of consistency and adapting to the level of football he is now facing.

“He gave us something slightly different when he came in the middle of the pitch on Tuesday night and came up with that little bit of quality when we needed it. His set-piece delivery in general was of a very high order when he was in the team earlier in the season so if he can improve in a couple of other areas then he can be an important player for us.”