New manager Mark Yates is confident he can bring the good times back to Crawley.

Yates signed a two-year deal at the Checkatrade.com Stadium yesterday after convincing the Crawley board he can deliver success despite tight financial restrictions.

The fact Yates guided Cheltenham Town to the League Two play-offs two years in a row on a similar budget gave him the edge over former England striker James Beattie in the race for the job.

The 45-year-old has been warned there will be significant cutbacks at Crawley over the summer following their relegation from League One but said: “I understand what the budget is and know how to deal with it.

“At Cheltenham I had a budget that I had to stick to and it is similar here but I am looking forward to the challenge.

“As a manager you have to have a target and right at this moment I want automatic promotion. Is that realistic?

“Let’s wait and see but if you don’t dream that we can get there it won’t happen. What I can promise is that I’ll be doing everything I can over the next three months to put a squad in place that gives us a chance to achieve that.”

Yates had been out of work since being sacked by Cheltenham in November but quickly emerged as the outstanding candidate to replace John Gregory.

Micky Adams, Andy Awford and Danny Wilson were also considered but Yates’ enthusiasm for the tough job ahead saw him get the position.

Dunford said: “When we spoke to Mark it was his passion that first stood out. We think he is a good fit for Crawley Town and I’m certain the supporters will love him as he is an infectious type.

“We are not setting him any rash targets. We’ve done that in the past and it has come back to bite us on the bum.

“There is nothing in his contract that says he has got to get us promoted but we would hope that within the two years (of his contract) that we are challenging for promotion.

“I’ve every confidence that Mark can take us forward and when you look at his proven track record of working within a tight budget I think it is going to be an exciting journey.”