Two goals from Mark Hynes helped Crawley Town earn a place in the Dr Martens League Cup semi-finals last night.

The recalled striker partnered Dave Powell in a changed Crawley attack, while on-loan midfielders Richard Kennedy and Joe Gamble made their full debuts.

Reds defied a lengthening injury list to ease their way past eastern division Saints, who rarely threatened.

Boss Billy Smith said: "We won comfortably in the end and I guess it made up for the disappointment of being knocked out of the Sussex Senior Cup by Lewes.

"The lads produced a far more disciplined and professional performance. St Leonards caused us few problems. But I am not going to shout from the rooftops. Of course I want us to win something and this is the last chance of us doing that. "

After just five minutes, Gamble shot straight at goalkeeper Rob Hall and seven minutes later, Powell's clever play set Gamble up again but he fired over.

Gamble's 22nd-minute effort was deflected to Hynes but he could not divert the ball goalwards.

Then Hynes saw a header cleared off the line before opening the scoring with a 27th-minute tap-in from Powell's pass.

Saints' goal continued to come under threat as Powell's snap-shot just cleared the bar before Danny Carroll's header was cleared off the line and Gamble's follow-up came back off the crossbar.

Gamble went close again before Crawley made it 2-0 in first-half injury time as John Ugbah rose to head in Nigel Brake's corner.

Three minutes after the break Reds extended their lead when Carroll's cross was dummied by Powell and Hynes fired in a deflected shot.

Reds meet King's Lynn at home in next Tuesday's semi-final.

Crawley: Little, Holmes (sub Wackett 81), Payne (sub Richardson 81), Kennedy, Pullan, Ugbah, Carroll, Gamble, Hynes, Powell, Brake (sub Huggins 75).

St Leonards: Hall, Willard, O'Callaghan (sub Piper 71), Moody (sub Cornelius 71), Henham, Venables, Fox, Boateng, Barclay (sub Hughes 58), Miles, Fletcher.