Assistant manager Paul Raynor praised the response of his Crawley side after an impressive performance overwhelmed Forest Green 3-0 at the Broadfield Stadium last night.

Reds should have won by a greater margin as they bounced back from their opening-day mauling at Mansfield, producing some attractive attacking football in the process.

Rayner said: “We were disappointing on Saturday but the response was magnificent. We have just started our season - that was a lot more like it from us “Thomas Pinault came back and added some steel to the creativity he has and I thought Jamie Cook and Charlie Ademeno up front showed what a good pair they can be. They were quick, lively and clever and if you add the creativity of Lewis Killeen and Ben Smith it gives us a lot of options.”

Both front players were on target while midfielder Eddie Hutchinson joined Ademeno in claiming his first goal for the club.

Rayner and boss Steve Evans could not have complained about the start their side made.

Stung by the criticism of their performance on Saturday they tore into the visitors and were ahead after just three minutes.

Simon Rusk’s punt forward from right-back found Jamie Cook in the box. He still had a lot to do but twisted inside a defender onto his right foot and fired a low shot past the helpless Terry Burton.

Cook thought he had created a second two minutes later but Charles Ademeno was offside when he picked his spot and the assistant raised his flag again in the 17th minute to rule out Lewis Killeen’s strike.

Reds’ front two caused Forest Green’s defenders problems with their pace and movement all night.

Ademeno fired into the side netting when a simple pass to Cook would surely have resulted in a goal before he shrugged off two challenges to fire in a low shot which lacked power to trouble Burton as Reds laid siege to the visitors’ goal.

The second goal duly arrived on 21 minutes and it was simple enough. The delivery this time came from Sam Rents who swung in a free-kick from just inside his own half and Hutchinson rose above his marker to head past Burton. Ademeno made sure but it had already crossed the line.

Apart from an early free-kick which Ross Stearn drove straight at Simon Rayner, the visitors had been non-existent as an attacking force until then but they stunned Crawley by getting back into the game eight minutes before half-time.

It was the sort of goal managers hate as defender Paul Stonehouse got in an unimpeded cross from the left which eluded a clutch of defenders and Jonathan Davies, goal side of Rents, could not miss from inside the six yard box.

It was a shock for Crawley but 11 minutes after the break they were two goals to the good again.

Ademeno for once checked his run when Smith played the ball into space and he rounded Burton before sliding the ball home from ten yards.

Smith formed an impressive axis in central midfield with Pinault which he should have capped with a goal. Moments before Crawley’s third his right-foot drive had deflected off Andy Taylor onto the outside of the post. Killeen then teed up Smith on the edge of the six yard box but under pressure from a defender his rising drive hit the side netting.

Smith was denied again after 67 minutes when Burton blocked his shot after a superb move started with an outrageous back-heel by Pinault.

David Brown had two decent efforts but the visitors offered only a sporadic threat and Burton made good saves late on to deny Killeen and Jefferson Louis to keep the score down.

Crawley: Rayner 7; Rusk 7, Giles 7, Broadhurst 7, Rents 6; Smith 8 (sub: Malcolm 75) Pinault (Forrest 90) 7, Hutchinson 7, Killeen 6; Cook 7 (Louis 87), Ademeno 7. Unused subs: Jordan, Powell.

Booked: Rents, 30 (foul) Forest Green: Burton; Taylor, McDonald, Preece, Stonehouse; Stearn (sub: Else 70), Smith, Challinor, Platt (Lloyd 60); Brown, Davies. Unused subs: Pugh, Pass, Palmer.

Booked: McDonald, 49 (foul) Referee: Ian Cooper (Rochester) Attendance: 776 (55 Forest Green)