Torquay 4, Crawley 1.

Crawley were given a rude awakening from their Wembley dreams after some dozy defending at Torquay.

But manager Steve Evans blamed the FA Trophy exit on a nightmare decision by the referee early in the second half.

Reds were 1-0 down in the quarter-final at Plainmoor when Gulls defender Lee Mansell fouled debutant Josh Dutton-Black.

The right-back had already been booked for a similar misdemeanour at the end of the first half on Dutton-Black, who was making his first appearance since signing on loan from Southampton.

Evans felt the Torquay man should have been shown a second yellow card, which would have swung the game in his side's favour.

Mansell escaped with a telling off and Torquay went on to capitalise on Crawley's defensive frailties to ease into the last four.

Evans said: "It was a big decision in the game which went against us and within a couple of minutes they went two up.

"Their bench was reacting to make a substitution because they thought Mansell had gone. He completely took the boy Dutton-Black out, no different to the first half.

"It was a yellow card, he should have been off and I'm telling you that it would have changed the game. He (the referee) did not do it and we suffered afterwards.

"When the second goal went in we had to chase it a bit more and it then looks like they won comfortably."

Although it is fair to say the scoreline would have been different had Mansell walked, it is doubtful the result would have changed after the way the Gulls tore Reds apart in the second half.

Crawley were unfortunate to have gone into the break a goal down after they were punished for switching off at the back on 19 minutes by Roscoe Dsane.

The former Lewes striker beat the offside trap far too easily to latch on to a ball over the top from Tim Sills and lobbed neatly over former Torquay keeper Ashley Bayes.

But the visitors were hardly in it after the interval and their defensive weaknesses were exposed again.

Right winger Kaid Mohamed was not picked up as he ran on to a pass from Dsane and slotted in the second on 59 minutes.

The same player added another seven minutes later after being given two chances to shoot in the box after Dsane had outpaced defender Bradley Thomas down the inside right channel.

Substitute Lee Phillips scored the fourth with a close-range header on 77 minutes after Chris Zebroski had cruised past right-back Kieran Murphy to loop over a cross.

The ease at which Torquay scored is a worry for Reds following the defensive horror-show in their previous game.

Ebbsfleet were virtually handed a 2-1 win two weeks ago after some schoolboy errors at the back.

The lack of goalscoring chances they have created in their last three games is also slightly concerning.

Top scorer Jamie Cook hardly had a sniff of goal before he netted his 18th of the season from the penalty spot late on following a handball by Phillips.

Evans said: "We are disappointed. Torquay are a good side and if they get 3-0 up against you, they are going to pass it and move you around.

"They have good players and they pay fortunes for them at this level in terms of wages.

"We have to accept that but what we can't accept is why Mansell has not been sent off."

Reds need to quickly improve at the back if they are to prevent a season of promise turning into an anti-climax.

They have seen their play-off ambitions and FA Trophy run both come to an end over the last fortnight, making tomorrow's Setanta Shield quarter-final against Aldershot a make-or-break game for their season.

Torquay: Rice, Nicholson, Todd, Mansell (Robertson 82), Adams, Ellis, Hargreaves, Mohamed, Zebroski, Sills (Phillips 67), Dsane (Benyon 80). Subs not used: Hockley, Stevens.

Booked: Mansell (42) foul, Adams (51) foul.

Crawley: Bayes, Murphy, Thomas, Wilson, Stevens, Dutton-Black, Thompson (Blackburn 71), Pinault, Bulman, Cook, Pittman (Allen 73). Subs not used: Shimmin, Vieira, Krause.

Booked: Bulman (59) foul, Bayes (75) dissent.

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