Stafford Rangers manager Chris Brindley has called the visit of struggling Gloucester ‘the ultimate six-pointer’ as the team look to pull away from the Blue Square North drop zone.

The Tigers come to Marston Road tomorrow (3pm) just a point shy of their hosts but four places separate the sides, with the visitors just two points from safety themselves in 17th.

That is the nature of the bottom half of the table after 17 games for Rangers, who only pulled away from relegation with a game to spare last season.

Brindley has long identified the need to beat the teams around them if they are to survive, so believes this clash takes on paramount importance.

He said: “It’s a big game for us, the ultimate six pointer if you will. Come the end of the season this could be one that we look back on, so we have to get something out of it really. It’s very tight, there are a number of clubs in a group together down there, so it’s important to pick up points from games like this.

“Until we put consistent results together, we are always going to be fighting and looking over our shoulders, that is the way it is and that is what it has been like for 12 months.”

Brindley is still looking at ways to improve his squad, but confirmed his hands are still relatively tied by budget constraints at Marston Road.

Unless the situation absolutely demands it, most of the money at Marston Road is tied up in the current squad.

He said: “We are always looking around for players, but we are still not really in a position to bring anyone else in. I am using all that I can use, but if our hand is forced when players get injured and need to be replaced, then we have to act.

“There is nothing extra than that.”