Boss John Gregory insists Crawley can still make the play-offs – but only if they beat Peterborough United today.

Reds go into their first home league match since December 29 in 18th place in League One but have up to six games in hand on the teams above them following a string of postponements.

Peterborough, who currently occupy the final play-off spot, are 17 points ahead of Crawley and Gregory says Reds can kiss their promotion hopes goodbye unless they make a dent in that gap today and follow it up by beating Stevenage at home on Tuesday.

Gregory said: “Without doubt we have to beat them. It is a must-win game for us if we have any intention of getting into the play-offs.

“Walsall and Swindon were games we had to win because they are both pushing for the play-offs and Peterborough fall into that category as well.

“If we win today and then again on Tuesday we can jump up quite a few places and suddenly it becomes a little bit more realistic. It is going to be very hard but if we can put together a run then we can still make it.

“If we don’t take 12 to 15 points from our next five or six games then it is going to be incredibly hard to catch us as we would have to virtually win every game. It wouldn’t be impossible but it would put enormous pressure on us.

“The next two home games are vitally important. We have got to get maximum points from them and if we do that we will be on target for where we want to be.

“There is no doubt the staff and players still believe we can do it. The first results they look for after games is for the likes of Peterborough, Swindon and Rotherham because they are the ones in and around the play-off positions which shows what their ambitions are for the rest of the season.”