Dion Charles and Offrande Zanzala have to make the shirt their own, according to Jimmy Bell, as Stanley eye new signings in the January transfer window.

Charles and Zanzala are expected to continue their partnership in attack, with top scorer Colby Bishop set for another period on the sidelines.

The pair are the main striking options left at the club, with Reds boss John Coleman eager to recruit two forwards before next Friday’s transfer deadline.

The pair have seven and eight goals respectively, but with 12-goal Bishop, and last season’s top scorer Sean McConville both out injured, the goalscoring burden is set to fall on their shoulders.

Assistant boss Bell says this is the opportunity the pair have waited for, and one they must now grab in a bid to help Stanley end their three-game winless run in the league.

Bell said: “It’s good pressure. Both of them have been out of the team and both of them asked why.

“They have both got their chance now and they have to grasp it.

“There’s not that much pressure because there’s nothing to take their place at the moment because they are basically the only two forwards we have got fit.

“They have to embrace it, take it on board. And they need to say ‘this is my shirt, and even if you bring players in they aren’t going to take it off us’.

“It’s down to them. They’ve got the shirt, keep the shirt, and show us what you can do.”

Stanley will take encouragement from the fact they beat  Burton at the Wham Stadium last month, but Nigel Clough’s side have been in good form of late, winning five of their last six matches to climb to ninth.

“They’ve had two good results of late, two 1-0 wins, two clean sheets, and that’s propelled them up to ninth, two points off the play-offs,” Bell said of today’s opponents.

“The top half is very tight. They will be all-out to beat us, it will be fresh in their minds, but it will be fresh in their minds that we played really well against them and were worthy winners.

“We could have won by a couple more.

“They are a very good team, well organised, at home, we are going to have to be at our best to beat them.

“We have to prove we’re a good side to them.”