ELEVEN months ago John-Paul Pittman picked the ball up on the edge of his box, sprinted all the way down to the other end of the field and planted the ball in the back of the opposition net for a stunning solo goal.

As the Crawley Town striker celebrated, fed-up opposing boss Peter Taylor put his head in his hands and then made a mental note of the name of the player who had inflicted the damage.

He has kept tabs on Pittman ever since and on Monday he splashed an undisclosed five-figure sum to bring him to Adams Park.

Taylor said: “I remember that goal really well. He got the ball on the edge of his own box, beat three or four of our players and then finished it off.

“It was a special goal and I didn’t forget it.”

But that goal was no flash in the pan.

The former Aston Villa trainee has scored 15 times in all competitions from the left wing for Crawley this season, taking his strike rate to 33 goals in 78 appearances for the Blue Square Premier side and earning the American-born striker England C team recognition.

Pittman said: “When I scored that goal against Stevenage I didn’t realise it was so important because we went on to lose the game, but it has turned out to be one of the most important goals I’ve scored because Peter Taylor took notice of me.”

Blues saw off competition from League Two title rivals Brentford and also Barnet to land the 22-year-old prospect on a two-and-a-half year deal and Taylor is delighted to get him.

He said: “He is just what we need. He is as quick as anything. Gary Holt knows him from his time at Forest and says he is even faster than Nathan Tyson.

“His record in the Conference is very good and I’m sure he’s capable of making the step up.”

Pittman, who can run the 100m in 11.2 seconds – just one second off Olympic qualifying time – represented Northants at athletics and had a choice between a career on the track or football when he was growing up.

He was at Villa as a youngster and then moved to Nottingham Forest when his youth team manager moved there and he made FA Cup and League Trophy appearances for the two-times European Cup winners.

But, after an injury-hit move to Doncaster Rovers, he dropped into the non-league.

He said: “I got a taste of it at Nottingham Forest and I wanted to get back into the League. Football is my life it means everything to me and I think I am ready for it now.

“I have learned a lot. I feel more sure of my ability and I am really pleased to have been given this chance.

“It never entered my head not to accept Wycombe. This is where I want to be. It is a great chance at at a great club and now I just want to get a run in the side and show people what I can do.”