Points all that matter for Brindley

Stafford Rangers manager Chris Brindley has told his players points are all that matter in their golden chance to edge nearer to safety with a home triple-header.

A vital sequence of games starts with tomorrow's visit of mid-table Ilkeston, preceded by league leaders Fleetwood and relegation rivals Vauxhall Motors over successive weekends.

Rangers come into the first match with breathing space seven points clear of the bottom three but not safe yet, and Brindley warns the next three home matches could shape whether the club will still be in the Blue Square North next season.

And the manager, who could name full-backs Andre Francis and Jon Patrick in the squad but is likely to start them in a reserve game on Monday night, is urging his side to start strong.

He said: "We need to make the most of it, we are still in a bit of trouble so we have got to win these games. I haven't set the players a points target, I just want them to aim to win each match and this is the start of it.

"Ilkeston are a good side, they are all good sides, and it's not easy to win any game in this division. We have just got to concentrate on surviving now, ideally we would have liked to have been higher but points are all that matter now.

"We are fighting to stay up, that's the truth of it."

Rangers have been an enigma in recent games, with no wins in eight but six draws over that period and just two defeats in 11.

Brindley prefers to look at the glass as half-full, and is hoping the chips will soon fall for his men.

He said: "You can look at it two ways, either criticise us or give us some credit. We need a win and that is obviously what we want, but we need a break.

"I don't think anybody who has watched us will say that we haven't deserved more from this run."