Crawley were given a reality check as their new campaign got off to the worst possible start.

Expectations around Broadfield Stadium have soared over the summer due to an influx of ten new players and an impressive series of pre-season friendly displays.

Reds were widely tipped as strong outsiders to reach the play-offs after their new faces took little time to gel in an outstanding 1-1 draw with a strong Crystal Palace side and a 6-1 thrashing of a young Tottenham team.

But any high hopes among supporters would have plummeted following an inept performance in the disappointing curtain-raiser against a solid but average York team.

Crawley looked like a team of strangers as they lacked creativity and ran out of attacking ideas.

Assistant boss Paul Raynor said: “We set about trying to win the game. We were very positive with the line-up we had but we struggled to get a foothold.

“We wanted to get a bit of time and space on the ball to open them up but we didn’t do it. We didn’t get the ball down and play as we can.

“We know we have some good players and we will put this down as a one-off. We said we weren’t going to get carried away with pre-season because it was always going to be about the nitty gritty.

“York came to frustrate and stifle us and they were bound to do that because we smashed them 6-1 at the end of last season. We needed some creativity and spark to be able to open the door.

“If we had got the first goal it might have changed the complexion of the game but, unfortunately, York got it and you have to give them credit. They did their job and defensively they were very solid.

“There will be lots of ups and downs throughout the season and we will play a lot better than that.”

Raynor insists the absence of boss Steve Evans in the dressing room and dug-out did not contribute to the poor performance.

Evans had to watch the game from the stand and was not allowed in the changing room before or after the match.

Raynor spent most of the 90 minutes running up and down the west stand stairs, passing on instructions from Evans to coach Colin Jenkinson on the sidelines.

Raynor said: “I don’t think it made a difference. The players know the way we want them to play, we have drilled it into them on the training field but they didn’t perform. There are no excuses.”

Raynor believes the absence of arguably two of Crawley’s biggest summer signings and the early loss of captain Chris Giles did play a part in the defeat.

Former Arsenal striker Isaiah Rankin joined ex-Bournemouth stalwart and ankle-injury victim Steve Fletcher on the treatment table the day before the game with a hamstring problem.

Central defender Giles was added to the crocked list after just 30 minutes when he limped off with what looked like an ankle injury.

Raynor said: “If Chris Giles, Steve Fletcher and Isaiah Rankin became available tomorrow, there would be a lot of Conference clubs looking to sign them.

“They are big players, they are experienced and they were a massive miss for us. They might have given the boys a gee-up on the pitch had they been playing.

“But we have been dealt a hand with injuries and you just have to get on with it.”

Although the loss of Giles was a blow, Reds had looked vulnerable even before his departure.

Richard Brodie squandered a golden early chance when he shot straight at keeper Simon Rayner after being put clean through.

The lanky wideman then curled a dipping free-kick onto the top of the crossbar on 17 minutes.

The woodwork came to Crawley’s rescue again after Giles had departed when a fizzing drive from Ben Wilkinson bounced back off the right-hand post just past the hour.

There was no real surprise, therefore, when York hit the winner with 20 minutes remaining, although the manner of it was unusual. Defender Jamie Stevens, normally so reliable, dallied on the ball on the edge of his penalty box and was robbed by Craig Farrell, who capitalised by firing in off the far post.

Raynor said: “The turning point was the defensive error. Jamie tried to play the ball across the penalty area and you can’t defend like that and expect to get away with it at this level.”

Reds threw on new signing Anton Douglas after the setback.

The 17-year-old former Kingstonian winger signed a short-term deal the day before the game after impressing in a friendly against County League side St Francis Rangers but struggled to get into the pace of the game.