Crawley are on target achieve their Conference dream ahead of schedule, according to chairwoman Jo Gomm.

But if Reds do go up they won't be risking their long-term future by going full-time.

Instead, the extra revenue generated from promotion will help strengthen the playing squad as the club focus on their ultimate ambition of achieving Football League status. Only then will Crawley consider going professional.

The prospect of Broadfield Stadium hosting Third Division games is still some way off of course.

Crawley's place in the Conference is by no means a certainty and the more vocal element of Reds' traditionally fickle support were certainly fearing the worse after their side slipped up at home to Welling in their last game a week ago.

That meant their lead at the top of the Dr Martens Premier was trimmed to seven points and Reds missed the chance to regain the winning thread when Saturday's home game against Salisbury was postponed an hour before kick off because of a waterlogged pitch.

Still, if you'd told Gomm at the start of the season that her side would be in such a strong position with 15 games to go she'd have been highly delighted and probably a bit surprised as well.

And if you had told her that would be the scenario when she accepted owner John Duly's offer to take over the chair after he bought the club two-and-a-half years ago her reaction would doubtless have been one of total shock.

Crawley hadn't won a league game when Duly and Gomm stepped in back in October 1999, but a call to Billy Smith soon changed all that.

Smith returned to Sussex for his second spell in charge, saved them from the drop and continued his rebuilding job last season.

A year ago Crawley's target was to reach the Conference within five years and the Football League within the next decade.

Those goals are being re-assessed thanks to a combination of Smith's astute management and the willingness of a board to back him where it matters most, in the transfer market.

Gomm isn't surprised by their success. It's just come a bit earlier than she'd expected.

She said: "We tailed off a bit at the end of last season and should have finished a bit higher.

"But I thought we were capable of finishing in the top three this season and it has gone even better. We're playing good football, the team has a great spirit and feeling and Billy has made some inspired signings."

None more so than defender Ben Judge, signed from Croydon in October, and striker Robbie Collins. Both have had the scouts flocking to Broadfield this season and Gomm wouldn't be surprised if either, or even both, were playing in the Football League sooner or later.

A chartered secretary by profession, Gomm still takes the notes at board meetings and expects to be scribbling away merrily in the next few weeks as Crawley start budgeting for the possibility of Conference football.

But their caution is hardly surprising given the financial problems which plagued them after their move to their new ground and led to administrators being brought in before Duly, a director for over 20 years, stumped up £60,000 to buy the club.

Several Conference sides operate with full-time squads, but Gomm says the financial risks are too great while only one team is allowed promotion to the Football League each year.

"If we go up we will need a bigger wage structure," said Gomm. "Revenue will increase from various sources, but going full-time is not something we are considering at the moment," she added.

Non-league football in the county is enjoying it's best season for years, but no club is able to compete with Crawley when it comes to pulling in the punters.

Average league gates have doubled this season. The turnout of 2,133 for the visit of Kettering before Christmas was the biggest of the day in non-league football and last weekend's 1,777 crowd against Welling was bettered by only two Conference clubs.

"I'm sure we could maintain those sort of crowds in the Conference," said Gomm.

"People in Crawley and Sussex like their football and if we can give them a top quality alternative to Brighton or the London clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal then I'm sure they will support us.

"To be honest our fans would relish seeing some different sides. We've been in the Dr Martens League premier more than any other team for 20 years and we've seen plenty of the Weymouths and Worcester City's."

Smith, who recently celebrated his 59th birthday, is one of the most experienced managers on the non-league circuit and his relationship with the Crawley board is in marked contrast to that enjoyed, or should that be endured, by one or two of his predecessors.

A boardroom crisis was never far away in the old Town Mead days, but all is sweetness and light even though nothing binds Smith to the club more than a handshake.

"Billy is as straight as a die, you couldn't meet a more honest person in football," said Gomm.

"You can tell that by the attiude of the players and the loyalty he gets out of them. Obviously we wouldn't want to lose Billy and a contract might be something we talk about in the summer.

"But we have a gentleman's agreement and if Billy ever wanted to discuss a contract then we would."

Gomm still prefers to spend matchdays standing on the terraces rather than the directors' box and the presence of the only chairwoman in the league still raises the odd eyebrow in boardrooms around the country.

"A lot of the old clubs are used to me now," she said. "But I still get one or two surprise looks when we visit clubs who have just come up or gone down.

"When I first took over I put my phone number and e-mail address in the programme and told the fans they could get in touch with me at anytime. Some people thought I was mad, but I like to be accessible to the supporters.

"But I love the job. And if we do get promoted the club will be ready for the next challenge."