JOHN Coleman is confident that if Accrington Stanley can break into the top three they will stay there.

The Reds boss has targeted a return of six wins from his side's remaining nine games, with at least one being celebrated over the Easter weekend.

Stanley play the first of two games in four days this afternoon, at home to Leyton Orient (kick-off 3pm).

And with a trip to Newport County to follow on Easter Monday, Coleman feels this will be a defining weekend in the promotion race as they aim to overturn the one-point gap.

He said: "It’s massive. And historically because it’s so close to the end of the season the Easter period has always been a definitive weekend.

“We’re hoping it’s a positive one for us,” added the Stanley chief, whose side closed the gap to third-placed Bristol Rovers to one point after last Saturday’s 1-0 win at Dagenham and Redbridge.

“You feel as though the reference point is always the last time we made the play-offs.

“If we can finish the season the way we did when we made the play-offs we’ll get automatic (promotion), so that’s the aim.”

Stanley finished the season with a flourish, winning five of their last nine games and drawing four to make the top seven, and Coleman added: “I think if you win six out of the last nine you can go up, so if you were to win one of them you’d need five out of seven.”

But while the Reds boss is hopeful of picking up points, he insists this weekend is not make or break for their top three aspirations, despite adding: "If you don’t win at least one it makes it difficult, I think, to go up automatically. It’s still do-able, but it just gets harder and harder.

“We had a four or five-point cushion to the team in fifth a couple of weeks ago and that disappeared more or less overnight. So we’re hoping we’ve been through our rocky spell and we’re coming through. The Easter period will tell us.

“But I think if we get into the top three we’ll stay there. We’ve just got to get into that three.

“If you think about it, of all the sides we’re probably the only ones who haven’t been in the top three.”

Today’s game will be the first time Coleman has faced Leyton Orient player-manager Kevin Nolan, but he is familiar with the experienced midfielder’s family through the Veterans League in Liverpool.

“I’ve come up against his brothers in management with the local Sunday team called Nicosea,” he said.

“(My record) is not that good against Nicosia. I’ll be honest with you. It was good in the early days but since going into the veterans stage they seem to have the 'Indian sign' over us.

“They’re a good footballing family from Merseyside, and I wish them all the best apart from today.”