Dannie Bulman wants to stay and help Crawley make their play-off dreams come true.

Reds’ hopes of a top-five finish this season are effectively over after Monday’s 2-0 defeat to Stevenage.

But the 30-year-old midfielder, one of Reds’ most consistent performers this season, believes they can go one better next season.

He said: “I love playing for the club and wearing the shirt. It’s up to (manager) Steve Evans. We haven’t had talks yet but I want to stay next season.”

No one in the current squad has made more than Bulman’s 142 appearances since he joined the club on a permanent basis in January 2007 after a loan spell from Stevenage.

Reds are on course for the highest league finish in their history and although Bulman says his team-mates are disappointed their play-off bid has fallen short he believes the play-offs are a realisitic goal for 2009-10.

He said: “We have definitely progressed from last season. The squad is a lot stronger and if we can improve on it next year we can get into the play-offs.

“On Monday Stevenage were able to freshen things up because they have a massive squad. We haven’t got the resources to do that so if we get a few injuries we are struggling a bit and maybe that is something the manager will look at.

“There will still be some big clubs in the Conference next season but we have proved against the likes of Torquay and Wrexham this year that we can compete with them.

Bulman says the players are determined to finish the campaign strongly, even though they face their third game in five days at Kettering tonight (7.45pm).

With Thomas Pinault and Simon Weatherstone still sidelined by injury, Evans’ options to freshen things up will again be limited.

Bulman added: “Kettering is not a nice place to go to but we have to dust ourselves down and go again. It’s going to be hard work.”

Kettering (from): Harper, Branston, Solkhon, Potter, Graham, Boucaud, Seddon, Charles, Geohagon, Wright, Bennett, Beardsley, Marna, Westcarr, Dempster, Whatsize.

Crawley (from): Rayner, Gaia, Quinn, Wright, Rents, Forrest, Wilson, Bulman, Killeen, Cook, Matthews, Shaw, Rankin, Malcolm, Giles, Hurren.