Matt Elliott plays down crunch run
Tuesday 22nd February 2011, 8:30AM GMT.
Stafford Rangers manager Matt Elliott has insisted back-to-back home games starting with Eastwood will not have a huge bearing on their relegation fight.
Rangers face two games in a week at Marston Road against stiff opposition, with the rearranged game from November against a physical Eastwood side preceding the visit of third-placed Boston on Saturday, the former Football League outfit.
Elliott’s men are in action tonight as survival rivals Gainsborough, who they took a point from on Saturday, take on fellow strugglers Gloucester and bottom club Redditch go to Blyth Spartans.
It leaves Rangers, in the last relegation spot, with everything to play for as the manager ponders fielding an unchanged side, which would leave Callum Wright and Fabrice Kasiama out of the squad for the second game in succession.
Andre Francis is also a big doubt with a knee injury although Elliott is hopeful he will back for Saturday’s game, but Ashley Wooliscroft is definitely out with a groin strain.
Alex Forde is also available for the last time before he starts a three-match suspension but new signing Craig Reid was preferred at left-back against Gainsborough, with tonight his home debut along with striker Luke Keen.
And Elliott has refused to set his players a target for the week ahead, urging them to treat both tasks like any other game.
He said: “I don’t like, unless I am forced to, putting ultimatums on how points we need. Even if we were to lose our next two games, it doesn’t mean we are totally out of it.
“Having said that, there is pressure on us in every game we play because we are on a bit of a tightrope, but things can change in football very quickly.
“In my view, we have got more than enough time to get us out of the predicament we are in.”
UK Sport
Latest Blog — A week is a long time in football
This time last week we were staring down the barrel, third from bottom with a worse record than at the same stage last year, writes Saddlers blogger Mark Jones.
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