“Young and hungry” Rob Elliot is a good appointment to succeed Scott Lindsey as Crawley Town manager, says former Reds captain Tony Vessey.
Ex-Newcastle goalkeeper Elliot was appointed on Tuesday and will take charge of his first match on Saturday with his new side in the League One relegation zone.
The 38-year-old won the FA Trophy with Gateshead, as well as leading the north east club to a sixth-placed finish in the National League last season.
“He’s done really well, he’s only been in the job a short period of time with Gateshead,” Vessey, who also managed Crawley, told BBC Radio Surrey.
“It looks like a good appointment, he plays a similar way I think to Scott.
“Very young, very hungry and it’s obviously a very good move for him.”
Crawley won promotion via the League Two play-offs last season under Lindsey, beating Crewe Alexandra in the final at Wembley, but have had a tough start to life in the third tier.
Five defeats in their last six games has left them on seven points and 21st in the table.
Lindsey left the club last week to take over at League Two MK Dons, with Ben Gladwin put in temporary charge for the last two games.
“It was probably inevitable a job would come along at some point and tempt him away,” Vessey said of Lindsey.
“[It’s] probably come sooner than they wanted but I’m sure they’ll have been planning for this day, probably since the end of last season.”
Elliot took over at Gateshead in October last year on an interim basis before being given the job permanently in June.
He steered the Heed to a National League play-off spot last season but the club was barred from competing as their stadium tenancy agreement did not comply with the rules set by the English Football League.
Elliot was in the stands to see Crawley lose 2-0 at home to Mansfield Town on Tuesday.
They face Wycombe Wanderers in his first game in charge.
“It’s a step up in standard,” Vessey added.
“His toughest job is to create the amount of possession we get into chances and goals, which is what we clearly need and probably have been lacking since the start of the season.”