JAMES Beattie insists he is not naive enough to think that Accrington Stanley are 100 per cent safe, but he wants his players to look to the top half than the bottom two.

The Reds could go 12 points clear of the drop zone if they overcome second bottom Northampton Town today.

But while Beattie is conscious of securing their Football League status, he believes there is more to aim for.

“They’ve set the standards this season and they have to maintain them until the end of the season. I’ve told them that if they maintain that hard work and that dedication then we won’t be talking about relegation, we’ll be talking about other things,” he said.

“They’ve come a long way as players and people and we’ve come a long way collectively too. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it but I want to make sure we finish it off and do something special.”

Stanley suffered a 12-game winless start to the League Two season but are now among the form teams.

“We’re never going to lose focus of where we are at but it’s always nice to remind the boys of their achievements,” said Beattie.

“Until it’s mathematically proven that we’re out of it then we’ll still be in it. I’m not naïve, I’m quite realistic.”