Crawley have made defender Ryan Dickson their third signing of the summer.

The 27-year-old has joined on a two-year contract after his contract expired at Colchester United.

Dickson follows midfielder Jimmy Smith and goalkeeper Brian Jenson in joining the Reds as boss John Gregory rebuilds his squad following the departure of 15 players.

The left-back has played more than 200 first team games for the likes of Southampton, Yeovil, Brentford, Torquay, Plymouth, Leyton Orient and Bradford throughout his career.

He suffered a serious illness shortly after joining Colchester on a one-year deal last season but recovered to finish the campaign strongly.

Dickson said: “I’m delighted to be at Crawley working for a highly-respected manager at an ambitious club.

“I know this league well and I definitely feel the club is capable of challenging for the play-offs next season. It’s a really exciting new challenge for me and I can’t wait for it to start.”

Reds boss Gregory said: “I was really impressed with Ryan when I saw him on a number of occasions last season. Several clubs at our level were keen to sign him but he’s excited about what we are trying to build at Crawley and I think he is going to be a very good addition to our squad.

"He’s a very solid defender who is an excellent athlete and I’m sure our fans will enjoy watching him play.”