Cheltenham Town boss Michael Flynn has insisted that he is focused on reaching the benchmark of 50 points before thinking of any other possibilities as his side face Cumbrian side Barrow on Saturday.
The marker of 50 points is the target which usually seals survival in League Two and the 44-year-old wants to achieve that before transferring the aim to the play-offs.
He stated: “We want to get four wins as soon as possible, because then we can concentrate on upwards and go full-on then.
“Every team needs to get the 50 points first and then you worry about anything else.
“If we get the 50 points and win enough games, we can give the play-offs a right go.”
Despite the play-offs being in contention, the fear of the teams near the bottom creeping up the table has the potential to haunt Cheltenham.
The Welshman said: “The league is crazy, it really is that tight.
“I watched Carlisle [bottom of League Two] against Newport midweek and they look much improved.
“Morecambe I’ve watched recently as well, they are giving everything and probably deserve more points.
“It is a real tough league.”
Embed from Getty ImagesBarrow sacked manager Stephen Clemence after their defeat to Swindon Town and moved quickly to secure the services of Solihull Moors manager Andy Whing.
With three wins out of five, the former Banbury United manager will aim to divert the Bluebirds away from the bottom half.
He said: “It’s always a tough game against Barrow.
“They’ve got a team that know League Two inside out and we’ve got to make sure we’re at it.
“Andy Whing has come in now and picked them up with two wins in a row so they’re full of confidence.”
Despite having the opportunity to leap into 11th place if results go in their favour, they remain in the bottom half of the division with survival being the goal.
The Gloucestershire side were dealt negative news however, as midfielder Tommy Backwell’s stunning start at Whaddon Road has been brought to an abrupt halt due to injury.
Opening the scoring with your first EVER goal in the EFL 🌟
— Cheltenham Town (@CTFCofficial) January 25, 2025
An afternoon to remember for @tommy_backwell #ctfc♦️ pic.twitter.com/yfhfwBzsbR
A disappointed Flynn confirmed the news: “It’s a hamstring tear, he’s out for six to eight weeks.
“He is devastated; he was getting match fitter each game but it was probably one game too much on the Wednesday [defeat to Peterborough].
“If it was a Tuesday night we probably would have left him on the bench but with him being so young we thought we’d play him because there were no signs of it happening.”
