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Gregory: Back to drawing board

Image: John Gregory: Not good enough

Crawley boss John Gregory was critical of his players after they fell to "an embarrassing" 5-3 defeat at Notts County.

The Reds, beaten 4-1 by Peterborough last time out, were 3-0 down at half-time and County winger Garry Thompson went on to complete his hat-trick for the hosts, who are now unbeaten in nine games in all competitions. "The only way we can put it right is hard work on the training ground," said Gregory. "Conceding nine goals in two games is an embarrassment. "We were bullied in the first half and that is unlike us. We crumbled and not too many people came out of that first-half performance with any credit." Thompson produced a wonderful finish after latching on to a pass by Stephen McLaughlin to open the scoring in the ninth minute before Zeli Ismail doubled the hosts' lead. Thompson then took full advantage of poor Crawley defending by stealing in at the near post to grab his second eight minutes before half-time. Crawley pulled a goal back just after the restart with a wonderful 20-yard effort from Gwion Edwards and Matt Harrold made it 3-2 in the 55th minute. But Thompson secured his hat-trick with a fine header in the 63rd minute before Gary Jones fired in a deflected 80th-minute effort. Marvin Elliott netted a third goal for Crawley with a simple header late on, but the Magpies saw out the win. "There was no pressure on us at 3-0 in the second half," added Gregory. "I was expecting much more resistance and we then scored two great goals to put us in with a chance of getting something from the game. "But then we make another mistake in our own penalty box and it was very uncharacteristic of us. "All in all it wasn't good enough. We were second best in many things that happened and got our just desserts. "The spirit in the second half was there and it was one-way traffic at times. It was the first half which did all the damage." Notts County boss Shaun Derry saluted hat-trick hero Thompson, who played in a more central role. Derry said: "Garry Thompson has played as a striker many times before. We've highlighted what his strengths are and I thought he was fantastic, I really did. He and Shaun Harrad were a real handful. "It was a major positive for us. Our attacking players were very good. Zeli Ismail was outstanding in the first half. "We've got some very good wide players and I love watching them. They make things happen. "They commit full-backs and they excite the fans. We needed to introduce that type of player into the team at the right time because we had to make sure defensively we were solid. "People will look and see that we've conceded three goals, but to be fair, they've been very, very, good of late. "The back four will be disappointed, but also delighted they've won the game. "We are nine games unbeaten now and we want to keep it going for as long as possible." Breaking news, transfer gossip, line ups and goal alerts from your football club - delivered direct to your mobile. Sign up for Sky Sports Alerts

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