STANLEY boss John Coleman has refused to set a points target for the second half of the season - but he admitted the Reds simply can't afford to lose to teams from the bottom half of the league.

Coleman's side recorded their first league win since October in the 3-1 win over Wrexham on New Year's Day.

He is hoping to build on that elusive victory today when the Reds face the Pilgrims - who are just one point above them in the league.

And he pointed to the rejuvinated Maccelsfield Town under Paul Ince, who was named manager of the month for December yesterday, as an example to follow.

But he warned that defeat was not an option.

He said: "It's plain that you need a couple of wins back to back. Obviously we've got our first one and we want to build on that. And if you can go on a run where you can pick up maybe 12 points out of 15 then you will catapult up the table like Macclesfield have and they've really caught everyone up. I think they've take 23 points out of 30, which is a magnificent achievement for them.

"If we can go on a similar run then we'll be safe no worries and the quicker you get to that target - I've not set a target yet - but the quicker we can get to safety the better.

"What you've got to look at is the team you're playing against. And if you're playing a team that's next to you then that's more valuable than from a team that's at the top of the league, because not only are you gaining a point yourself, but you're taking two off them.

"I don't think we can afford to get beat to any of the teams in the bottom half of the table and I think that will be reflected in how we play and how teams play against us."