John Gregory has been confirmed as the new manager at Crawley Town.

The former Aston Villa boss has signed an 18-month contract at the Checkatrade.com Stadium and will take charge of the club's FA Cup tie at Bristol Rovers on Saturday.

Gregory, 59, has not worked in the English game for more than six years and has been out of a job since leaving Kazakhstan outfit FC Kairat in 2011.

Gregory said: “I’m delighted to be here, back in English football at a club who have made tremendous progress over the last three years.

"When I met the directors I was impressed by their ambition to keep on moving Crawley Town forward. You can’t stand still in football and the potential at this club is enormous. We have got a good squad of players and I have every confidence that they can challenge for the play-offs. You have to aim high and I’m really looking forward to getting on the training ground with the players and kicking on.”

Chief executive Michael Dunford said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have John on board. He is very experienced in management with a wealth of contacts in the game and, most importantly, he is really looking forward to a new challenge and being back in English football.
“In our discussions with John that is what came through most clearly. He is refreshed and reinvigorated and he shares the ambition everyone at Crawley Town has for the football club and is really looking forward to working with our squad.
“I’m sure our fans will get behind John, starting at Bristol Rovers on Saturday, and will give him a warm welcome at our first home game on December 14 against Preston.”