Crawley clinch Rankin signature

Blue Square Premier side Crawley Town have announced the signing of former Arsenal and Bradford City striker Isaiah Rankin.

The journeyman was released by Stevenage Borough at the end of last and has penned a one-year deal at Broadfield Way after the completion of a medical.

The 30-year-old has put in some solid performances in pre-season matches and managed to net the opener in a memorable 6-1 win over a Spurs XI in midweek.

Reds boss Steve Evans told the club's official website: "Isaiah is an experienced lad. He has played in the Premiership and clubs have invested almost £2 million in transfer fees for him so that shows clearly what ability he has.

"He has lost his way a little in recent seasons but I am confident I can bring the best out of him. If we can do that or get anywhere near it we have ourselves a fantastic signing.

"He looked brilliant last night but I told him he had established a benchmark now.

"The squad is almost complete now and I believe that the budget allocated by the board has been spent wisely. We have a couple of loan options to pursue and are working on that now."