MIKE Flynn is used to dealing with pressure situations. But even he admits he has never been involved in a season as tense as this one.

As Accrington Stanley's play-off hopes hang by a thread, the central defender will be the voice of experience needed to see them through the crucial final two games of this term.

After defeat to Woking on Saturday anything less than a win against fellow play-off challengers Aldershot Town tonight (kick-off 7.45pm) will surely be the final nail in the play-off coffin - for this season at least.

But Flynn, who captained Stockport County to promotion from the Second Division in 1997, when they needed to win three out of their last four games, is adament the club won't give up without a fight.

"It's looking a bit grim for us now to be honest," the 36-year-old said. "We're looking for favours off the other teams now - we need them to start dropping points.

"If we had gone into the break 1-0 up on Saturday, perhaps Woking might have got a bit edgy and started taking chances in the second half. But their equaliser gave them a lift, and kicking towards their fans in the second half was like having an extra man for them.

"I felt we were excellent in the first half at the weekend, but for one mistake that let them back into it in injury time.

"Jon Kennedy caught everything that came into the box but mis-judged the float of the cross on that occasion and the ball squirmed through his grasp and they ended up with a tap-in.

"That goal before half-time really knocked the wind out of our sails, but we withstood everything they threw at us after half-time and the lads defended very well.

"They got three or four corners on the trot and, from one of them, two of their players barged into Jon and the other came over the top and headed the ball in - again in injury time.

"Everybody is a bit down in the dumps because we feel as though we are a top-five side.

"But it's been a learning curve for a lot of the players and everyone can take heart for next season and build on it."

But Flynn is preparing to cling on to whatever hope is left for a place in the play-offs.

"In tonight's fixtures, there are a few teams playing each other again and, in an ideal world, a draw would be favourable. But we don't seem to be having any luck at the moment," he said.

"Perhaps we've got a little bit of a reputation of being a hard team to beat. Teams are trying a lot harder against us because we're seen as a scalp.

"Also, out of everyone in the top 10 we've had by far the hardest run-in.

"But while it's mathematically possible (to get into the play-offs), we're not going to give up the fight.

"Three points tonight puts us three points behind Aldershot.

"If we can take it to the last game of the season at Hereford, I'm sure every fan would have been happy with that at the start of the campaign and I'm sure the gaffer would as well."

He added: "We've been saying for the last month that the next game is our most important. But this literally is our most important game of the season. It's our last chance saloon.

"The league this year has been far stronger than last year. Next year might be stronger still - but we've got the basis of a very good squad that has been through a lot of adjustments - going from part-time to full-time - and we can only learn from the experiences of this term."