Dean Saunders admits it would be hard to walk away from Crawley if he keeps the club in League One.

Reds looked doomed to relegation when Saunders took over on an interim basis from John Gregory at the end of December but could guarantee survival with victory at Peterborough today.

Saunders insists he has not had any discussions about taking the job on permanently yet due to Crawley’s perilous position and uncertainty over whether Gregory will return following major heart surgery.

But the former Wales striker has hinted he would be willing to stay at the Checkatrade.com Stadium if Gregory is unable to resume his responsibilities.

Saunders said: “Of course it would be hard to walk away as everybody has been so good to me since I came here.

“The board have put their faith in me and I’ve got a good relationship with Michael Dunford but we’ll wait until we are safe and then have a chat.

“As far as I know John is the manager and I’m only here until the end of the season. I came here to do a job and making sure we stay up is too important to be distracted by thinking about the future.”