It is still early days of course but Crawley are starting to look like a side capable of lasting the distance in the gruelling Conference promotion battle.

Hayes tried everything to frustrate them, operating with a lone striker and leaving the grass on the pitch long to try to disrupt their opponents’ passing game.

But once Craig McAllister put Crawley in front the result was never in doubt and a third successive win has lifted them into third place ahead of today’s home encounter against Forest Green Rovers.

Boss Steve Evans was as relaxed post-match as he has ever been during three years in charge and no wonder. By the time Reds take on some of the sides expected to be in the promotion shake-up his new-look squad should have bedded in. In the meantime they are doing what Evans’ sides have struggled to do in the past – winning away from home and beating the league’s so-called lesser lights.

He said: “I don’t have any problem motivating my squad to play the likes of Luton and Cambridge but (co-owner) Bruce Winfield came up with a very relevant statistic which is if you beat the bottom 15 sides home and away it doesn’t matter what you do against the rest – you will be the champions.

“This was as emphatic an away win in this league as you are going to get. We had three or four chances which could have made it six or seven at what is always a hard place to come to.”

It took Reds until December last season to win two away games, something they have achieved in the opening fortnight of the new campaign. And victories over sides like Altrincham, Bath and now Hayes suggest Evans has signed players with the mental strength to match their undoubted ability.

He added: “Better players give you a chance of being successful and as a manager I can be more demanding of what I expect of them as a result.

“We are more willing now to take the game to the opposition as opposed to sitting tight and camping in because we believe we are better than them.”

Evans resisted the temptation to tinker with a winning side. He would have really rubbed Hayes’ noses in it had he started Ben Wright against the side for whom he scored a hat-trick last week. Wright is one of five strikers in the squad and that has clearly galvanised Craig McAllister who has scored three goals in two games since losing his place at Altrincham last week.

McAllister’s instinctive low shot through a crowded box put his side ahead on 17 minutes and he produced a bullet header eight minutes later to double Reds’ lead.

He also had a hand in the third goal 19 minutes from time, unselfishly dummying Matt Tubbs’ centre to allow Sergio Torres to open his Crawley account from close range.

Once they had established a two-goal lead Reds played well within themselves. Hayes huffed and puffed and, although Ahmed Deen struck the bar from 20 yards, goalkeeper Michel Kuipers’ biggest test was maintaining his concentration.

Evans added: “It was a good performance and it was nice to see Macca get two goals and Sergio his first for us. Matt Tubbs led the line in a great fashion and there were others who produced top-class performances.”

After the game Mikey Malcolm completed his loan move to Hayes until October 5 and Evans’ biggest headache in the next few weeks will be keeping his squad happy.

Others will surely leave to get games under their belt but for now Evans will welcome the chance to work with his players without the distraction of the transfer window.

Crawley Town: Kuipers, Wilson, Hall, Quinn, Rusk, Neilson, Masterton (sub Reason 39), Mills (sub McFadzean 90), Torres, McAllister, Tubbs (sub Flood 87). Subs not used: Jordan, Wright.

Hayes and Yeading: Lennie, Ferrell (sub Yiadom 75), Green, Cadmore, Bygrave, Mulley, Holmes, Deen, Buchanan (sub Wishart 61), Hand, Pritchard (sub Webb 75). Subs not used: Appiah, Wassmer.

Referee: Darren Sheldrake.