HARTLEPOOL UNITED fell to a regulation defeat, going down 1-0 at Crawley.

This was a desperately poor show from Pools, lacking in effort and a willingness to take the game to the opposition.

Crawley weren’t much better, but they upped their game for a short spell in the second half and it was enough to win the game.

The only goal came when Dean Cox was given space to float a cross in from the left and top scorer James Collins ghosted in behind the defence to glance a header home.

As far as a response goes – and Pools had 28 minutes of the game remaining – there was nothing.

Home keeper Glenn Morris didn’t have a meaningful save to make. Pools again played football and passed the ball around well, but it was futile.

Their best chance came in the first half when left wing-back Sean Kavanagh tried his luck with a low shot towards the near post which Morris saved well.

Pools - backed by 435 travelling fans who paid a minumum of £1 entrance as the home side took their normal admission costs away - had an escape before the goal when Collins headed over from two yards as he met a clipped cross.

Boss Craig Hignett said: “We gifted them the goal, we let Dean Cox cross too easily.

“I didn’t see us losing the game in the second-half to be honest. We played our way into the game and got a bit better and played some decent stuff without breaking through.

“It was a decent performance, no doubt, and we probably shaded it and we said the same last week.

“We need someone who will score goals and at the minute we haven’t got that.’’

CRAWLEY TOWN (4-4-2): Morris; Yorwerth, McNerney, Connolly; Young, Payne, Smith, Clifford (Henderson 86), Cox (Roberts 70); Collins, Boldewijn (Bawling 74). Subs: Mersin (gk), Blackman, Djalo, Watt.

HARTLEPOOL UNITED (3-5-2): Bartlett; Harrison, Bates, Donnelly; Richards (Oates 80), Laurent, Featherstone, Woods (Walker 86), Kavanagh; Alessandra, Amond (Paynter 61). Subs: Dudzinski (gk), Deverdics, Hawkins, Martin.