NEW BOSS Billy Smith hopes to have at least two new faces in his side when he begins his second spell in charge of Crawley at Halesowen tomorrow.

But captain Damian Webber has already left the club in the wake of Smith's arrival.

Webber, who returned in the summer when Cliff Cant took over as manager, was not under contract and has left by mutual consent.

The former Millwall defender said: "It's all fairly amicable. I had a chat with Billy on Wednesday and he said he wanted to start afresh with his own players which is fair enough.

"I can understand that, but I do feel some sympathy for Cliff because it was us who got the club into the position they are in at the moment."

Smith has returned to Broadfield Stadium after director John Duly took control on Wednesday after Crawley had spent over two months in administration.

He quit in April after deciding he couldn't operate with the budget being proposed for this season.

But he admits that it could still be difficult to drag second-bottom Reds to safety, even though they have played less than a quarter of their league fixtures.

"If we finish fifth from bottom and out of the relegation zone I guess you could call it a success," said Smith.

"To be honest I don't know John (Duly) that well, but he told me that my name kept getting mentioned when he asked people around the club about the manager's job which he said was good enough for him.

"It's not a massive budget, but it's more than I would have had if I'd stayed at the end of last season. The fans will expect an improvement in results, which is fair enough, but they have got to realise that John hasn't got a bottomless pit.

"I know the crowds have been low this season, which is understandable, but I hope they come back because it will show John that he has their support and the more money being generated could help me strengthen the squad even more."

One name already being linked with a quick return to Broadfield Stadium is goalkeeper Adrian Blake.

Ironically, Smith's first spell in charge began with a trip to Halesowen.

On that occasion, some three years ago, Crawley drew 2-2 and he would settle for a repeat tomorrow.

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