Crawley opened their pre-season campaign with a 9-0 win away to County League side Billingshurst.

Reds boss John Gregory used 23 different players, including 11 trialists.

Among them were former Derby defender Dean Leacock, who was released by Notts County at the end of last season, Lewis Young who is the brother of Manchester and United forward Ashley plus Portuguese forward Rico Gomez, a cousin of Manchester United’s Nani.

The others were Johnny Marsden, Bodson Bawling, Emmet O’Connor, goalkeeper Chad Collins, Simon Heslop, Jake Kempson, Ryan Noble and Bognor defender Craig Robson.

Matt Harrold, one of eight summer signings on show, gave Crawley a 20th minute lead with a header from Marsden’s cross.

It remained 1-0 until the 37th minute before Crawley scored four goals in as many minutes to make it 5-0 at half-time. Former Arsenal midfielder Connor Henderson netted twice and made another for Young while O’Connor touched home a deflected, looping cross from Jimmy Smith.

Gregory started with a completely different side than the one which began the first half.

Izale McLeod made it 6-0 on 57 minutes, stroking home from 12 yards from Lanre Oyebanjo’s cross and Kempson added a seventh two minutes later from Dickson’s cross.

O’Connor showed neat footwork to make it 8-0 on 67 minutes from Noble’s pass for his second of the evening.

Noble then headed a ninth on 81 minutes from a cross by Bradley Isaacs.

Crawley (1st half): Jensen; Bawling, Leacock, Walsh, Richefond; O’Connor, Henderson, Smith, Young (sub Gomez 41); Marsen (sub Kempson 34), Harrold.

Crawley (2nd half): Collins; Oyebanjo, Robson, Bradley, Dickson; Gomez (sub Isaacs 61), Heslop, Simpson, O’Connor (sub Kempson 74); Kempson (sub Noble 59), McLeod.