CRAWLEY Town have signed former Albion star Joel Lynch on a free transfer.

The defender who comes from Eastbourne has joined the Reds after he was released by Sunderland in 2020. He has signed a four-month deal that will see Lynch stay at the club until January 3.

The 33-year-old will provide plenty of experience for Crawley Town, having played almost 400 times in English league football, including 79 appearances for Albion.

Lynch has also played at the international level of football, having made his debut for the Welsh national team making his debut as a 78th-minute substitute against Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2012.

The defender has also scored 20 goals during his career so far.

The club teased the signing on Twitter, posting a video of the song Joel by Erick Cosaque playing on a mobile device.

pic.twitter.com/U2d8twUJO0

Manager John Yems has praised the new signing and hopes Lynch will improve the squad as a whole.

He said: “I’m very happy to have Joel with us, he has got great experience in the Championship and has been with us for months at training. I wish Joel all the best here and I know he can bring a lot to our squad.”

Lynch will be available for selection for Saturday’s game against Carlisle United.

Lynch hinted at the move back in March when he spoke to Football League World.

He said: "The last game I actually played was in March last year, so I've been out of action for almost a year now.

"I've trained seven or eight weeks at Southend and then I've had three and half weeks with Bolton. I just need to play games, and it wouldn't be a problem for me, I just need to show people I can still do it.

"I went to Bolton because it's such a big club and has a lot of potential, and I know the wage cap is now gone, but if I got an offer for less money at say a Wimbledon or a Crawley, I'd go because it's near to where I live.