A well taken goal by Paul Ifill gave Palace the lead in the first half before a foul on Jake Wright in the box allowed Pinault to level from the spot on 66 minutes infront of a big crowd.

Eagles boss Neil Warnock named new signings Jonny Ertl and Nick Carle in the starting 11 along with the likes of Dougie Freedman and Ben Watson.

Although the majority of the Palace team changed in the second half at times it was difficult to tell which was the Championship side.

Considering Steve Evans' new Crawley signings have never played together they rarely looked in trouble at the back.

Simon Rayner looked dominant in goal and there were already signs that central defender, and captain for the night, Chris Giles was the ingredient that Crawley were missing last season.

And the Reds started well with incisive passing and some quick runs from Jon-Paul Pittman who caused the Eagles defence problems on several occasions.

Within the first 20 minutes his run and shot from the edge of the area went just wide of the post and five minutes before the break he hit a low-drilled shot which was superbly saved by Flahaven in the Palace goal.

The best chance for Palace fell to Ben Watson. His 20-yard free-kick deflected off the wall onto the inside of Rayner's post, crawling agonisingly along the goal-line before being cleared.

Lewis Killeen and Danny Forrest in-particular looked like players who could offer Steve Evans' side a different dimension next season.

Forrest's touch and presence of mind on the ball showed a composure that will be an added quality in the Reds midfield next season.

The only players missing for Crawley were striker Steve Fletcher and midfielder Simon Weatherstone who both picked up knocks in training.

What would please the home faithful most was to see Dannie Bulman playing in his natural position in central midfield where he produced a typically consistent performance getting up and down the pitch.

But, it was Palace who scored the first goal on 36 minutes when a ball lobbed into the box went over Glenn Wilson and was slided under the advancing Simon Rayner by Paul Ifill from a tight angle to make it 1-0.

Crawley responded in a similarly solid fashion in the second half, while Warnock replaced several of his first team stars with fringe players on the bench.

Rayner had little to do in goal, while Flahaven had to cope with another effort from Pittman. He beat two Palace defenders with sheer pace before unleashing a left foot shot which was smothered by the Eagles 'keeper.

Former Arsenal and Bolton striker Isaiah Rankin came off the bench to inject a bit of life up front. The Crawley trialist's power and pace caused more problems for Palace's Austrian international defender Jonny Ertle.

He powered down the right into the box only to see his shot saved by Flashaven. The striker was at Stevenage last season and is currently being given a trial by Crawley before they make a decision on whether to add him to the squad.

Crawley's deserved equaliser came on 66 minutes.

Substitute left-back Jake Wright earnt a penalty when he was fouled on the corner of the box after an incisive pass by Thomas Pinault and intelligent build up play by Danny Forrest.

With Crawley's regular penalty taker Jamie Cook off the pitch, Thomas Pinault stepped up and smashed the ball into the top right of the goal to make it 1-1.

The game then turned into a typical pre-season friendly with several substitutions being made by both managers. Trialist goalkeeper Nicky Morgan got a run out but had little to do, while local lad Tom Lyons got time playing up front and Nick Carter came on in the dying minutes.

Evans' side seemed to get stronger as the game went on illustrating how high their fitness levels are so early in the pre-season. They travel to play Ross County in Scotland full of confidence ahead of their game on Saturday.

REDS: Rayner (Morgan 70), Wilson (Coop 81), Rents (Wright 53), Stevens (Thomas 70), Giles, Bulman, Forrest (Carter 87), Pittman (Lyons 81), Cook (Rankin 53), Pinault, Killeen

PALACE: Flahaven, Ertle, Fonte, McCarthy, Hill, Freedman, Carle, Ifill, Watson, Derry, Scannell
Subs: Comly, Cline, Djay, Pinney, Adelakun, Abnett, Edwards, Cuddugin, Dalhouse, Bingham, Smith, Wilkinson

OBSERVER MOM: Jon-Paul Pittman

Attendance: 2536

Full-time score: Crawley Town 1 Crystal Palace 1
Goals: Ifill, 36 (Palace), Pinault (penalty, 66)

91 mins - Killeen ran down the centre of the pitch and drilled a low shot straight down the 'keepers throat.

88 mins - Nicky Morgan makes an excellent catch down to his right from a well hit shot.

87 mins SUB (Crawley) - NICK CARTER replaces DANNY FORREST

82 mins SUB (Crawley) - TOM LYONS and MILES COOP replace GLENN WILSON and JON-PAUL PITTMAN

78 mins - After a good spell by Crawley the game has started to slow down.

71 mins - Pittman bombed down the left of the box and hit a low shot which was saved down low by Flashaven.

70 mins SUB (Crawley) BRAD THOMAS and NICKY MORGAN replace JAMIE STEVENS and SIMON RANYER.

66 mins GOAL! (Crawley) Thomas Pinault - The Frenchman smashed the ball past the helpless Flashaven into the top right of the goal.

65 mins PENALTY - Jake Wright was brought down on the corner of the box after a perfect through ball by Thomas Pinault.

62 mins - Rankin received the ball from a Pittman header, bulldozed his way into the penalty area and hit a right foot shot which was smothered by the Palace 'keeper Flashaven.

60 mins - The second half has started at the same slow pace the first half did.

53 mins SUB Jake Wright and Isaiah Rankin replace Sam Rents and Jamie Cook.

51 mins - Nick Carle hits a great strike which is well caught down to his left by Rayner.

49 mins - Crystal Palace have made a couple of changes including bringing on the pacy Keiran Djaly.

Half-time: Crystal Palace 0 Crawley Town 1

40 mins - Crawley's best chance of the game. Killeen played the ball to Pittman who ran the ball past the Palace defender and hit a low hard left-footed shot from eight yards out only to see the Flashaven make a superb left-handed save.

36 mins GOAL! (Palace) 1-0 - A ball lobbed back into the box was latched on to by Paul Ifill who slided the ball past the out-coming Simon Rayner from a tight angle.

33 mins - The Reds have shown some neat touches in the final third and Dannie Bulman has picked up where he left off last season, working tirelessly for his team.

29 mins - Crawley's new 'keeper came out and cleared his lines well, punching the ball 30 yards clear.

25 mins - Ben Watson's (Palace) 20 yard strike from a free-kick deflected off the Crawley wall, hit the inside of Rayner's post and crawled along the goal-line.

Crawley have started brightly and have restricted Palace to few chances on goal.

22 mins - Dannie Bulman hits an effort from 18 yards but it went miles over the bar.

8 mins - Pittman went close with a low drilled shot but it went wide.