"IT'S looking like the play-offs – I'm not going to say otherwise. But there will be twists and turns and things can change very quickly."
Grimsby Town joint boss Paul Hurst remains optimistic, but also realistic, ahead of the Mariners' clash at Nuneaton tonight (7.45pm).
After three defeats in the space of just eight days, his side are ten points adrift of the Conference summit.
If that wasn't pressure enough ahead of this evening's trip to Warwickshire, that winless run has also allowed the play-off chasers below to close in on Town's precious fifth-place.
And Hurst admits that the Mariners have to drag themselves out of this late-season dip fast if they are to stay in the hunt.
"Tonight is a big game in terms of getting back to winning ways because there's no doubt that the teams directly below us – Forest Green and Macclesfield – will be thinking they can catch us," he said.
"We've got to try to hold those teams off, get the three points, and also keep the pressure on the ones above us because they're playing again each other and can't all take three points.
"We're conscious of the teams below but certainly haven't given up on what's above us either.
"It's looking like the play-offs – I'm not going to say otherwise. But there will be twists and turns and things can change very quickly."
The 90-point mark is often seen as the minimum for the division's sole automatic promotion spot.
And even 98 points wasn't enough for Wrexham last season, with the Red Dragons having to settle for second-place and play-off despair.
With the Mariners stuck on 64 points, Hurst doesn't need telling how difficult the task has become.
"For top spot it does need to be a hell of a run now – we would need to string together five or six wins on the bounce, starting tonight," he continued.
"Our players are capable of it, but there are a lot of teams who have got something to play for.
"Ultimately we want to try to get as many points as possible and see where that takes us.
"You would think that Mansfield's run has got to come to an end at some point and the same with Kidderminster, who have lost a game but bounced back well.
"Sometimes it's about getting momentum. It's certainly not a time to panic and start changing all the good work we've done – it's a case of getting back to winning ways."
