Crawley Town are still looking for a first home win of the season after losing 3-0 at home to Southend United in the second round of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

The Reds, who have scored once all season at the Checkatrade.com Stadium, always looked second best to their League One visitors.

Debutant goalkeeper Callum Preston made a couple of decent saves before being beaten in the 26 minutes when Myles Weston skipped clear of a Crawley defence appealing for offside and tucked a low shot past the exposed stopper.

Then six minutes before the break Joe Pigott’s shot from a narrow angle was deflected past the keeper at the near post to make it 2-0.

Crawley offered little going forward in the opening 45 minutes. Rooney’s deflected volley was held low down by Dan Bentley with the game goalless and Barnard rifled past an upright in first-half stoppage time.

Ten minutes into the second half Southend defender Ben Coker cleared off his own line when the ball trickled goalward after Gwion Edwards played in substitute Shamir Fenelon.

Gavin Tomlin came on for the last 19 minutes, making his first appearance of the season following summer groin surgery, but Crawley rarely looked like getting back into the game.

Their misery was complete late on when Pigott smashed home his second of the night.

Crawley: Preston; Donnelly (sub Young 46), McNerney, Bradley, Hancox; Rooney (sub Fenelon 54), Walton, Smith, Edwards; Barnard (sub Tomlin 71), Deacon. Subs not used: Scales, Henderson.

Southend: Bentley; White, Bolger, Prosser, Coker; Atkinson, Wordsworth (sub Timlin 58), Deegan; Payne (sub Mooney 74); Pigott, Weston (sub Worrall 82). Subs not used: Leonard, Williams.