East Grinstead Town 1 Crawley Town 6: Harry Kewell's first game in charge ends in comprehensive win

Crawley Town head coach Harry Kewell gives his half-time team-talk during their 6-1 win at East Grinstead on Saturday.
Picture by Graham Carter — Crawley Town head coach Harry Kewell gives his half-time team-talk during their 6-1 win at East Grinstead on Saturday. Picture by Graham Carter

Matt Harrold scored a brace while Enzio Boldewijn, Jimmy Smith, Dean Cox and Panutche Camara all added one each.

Both teams observed a minute's applause in memory of the six-year-old terminally ill friend of Jermain Defoe, Bradley Lowery who died this week.

Playing in warm and sunny conditions at East Court, the new boss handed debuts to five new signings Cedric Evina, Moussa Sanoh, Dannie Bulman, Dennon Lewis and Camara.

Reds took the lead in the first five minutes when Boldewijn scored from the edge of the box.

Grinstead levelled on 16 minutes after Crawley keeper Yusuf Merson ran out to clear the ball but it went only as far as opposing striker Marcus Elliott who rolled the ball in the net from just outside the box.

Boldewijn saw another attempt saved by keeper Oshane Brown at full-length.

Reds took the lead just before half-time when Smith latched on to Cox's cross and put away from short-range.

Seconds later Cox made it 3-1 when he seized upon a mistake by keeper Brown, intercepting a pass meant for a Grinstead player and tapped the ball into the net.

Both sides fielded completely different 11s for the second half.

Crawley brought on Glenn Morris, Lewis Young, Josh Lelean, Joe McNerney, Andre Blackman, Lewis, Billy Clifford, Josh Payne, Jordan Roberts, Camara and Harrold.

Reds led 4-1 early in the second half when new signing Camara side-footed in from a ball crossed by another new loan signing from Watford, Lewis.

This became 5-1 midway through the half when Blackman crossed for Harrold to stretch out to score.

Harrold scored his second and Reds' sixth just before the final whistle when he slid in to net a loose ball in the area.

REDS 1st half: (4-3-3) Mersin, Tajbakhsh, Garnett, Connolly, Evina, Sanoh, Smith (capt), Bulman, Arthur, Boldewijn, Cox

2nd half: (4-3-3) Morris, Young, Lelan, McNerney, Blackman, Lewis, Clifford, Payne, Roberts, Camara, Harrold

East Grinstead (1st half): Brown, C.Wilson, Straker, M.Wilson, King, Thomas, Hoare, Hogan, Tait, Elliott, Gaggin

(2nd half): Price, Baston (R.Payne 75), Griffiths, Power, Meeres, Gales, Batula, Harris, Saggers, Hutchinson, Davis