Dean Saunders fears his managerial career could be over if he fails to secure Crawley’s place in League One.

The interim Reds boss believes his reputation would be irreparably damaged if another relegation was added to his CV after being sacked by Wolves when they dropped out of the Championship in May 2013.

Saunders is only contracted until the end of the season while John Gregory recovers from heart surgery and knows he would struggle to find another job if Crawley go down.

Reds go into today’s clash with MK Dons at the Checkatrade.com Stadium on the back of a 11-game winless streak which has left them in the drop-zone and Saunders is aware the pressure is on to halt the slide.

Saunders said: “I know I can’t afford to get it wrong because, being honest, I don’t think I will get a job that I would want afterwards.

“People don’t take into account what I have walked into here when they are making decisions they will just see that we went down. It might not be fair but that is the way people think.

“But I’m also aware that if I get it right and John comes back with the club in a better position that the world of football will be looking at me because I have done a good job."