Gary Setchell accepts King's Lynn Town's hopes of pushing for the play-offs are fading fast.

The Linnets were fifth in November but now sit 12th during their second season in the Evo-Stik Premier Division. They still remain just 10 points off the top five but after an 11th defeat of the season at home to Workington last time out, Setchell admits it's going to require something special to keep their promotion hopes alive going into the business end of the campaign.

'With each week that we don't win these games our play-off ambitions are dwindling,' said the always-honest Lynn boss.

'I just felt we had to win on Saturday if we had any chance. We've always got a chance because we've still got 48 points to play for. We've got 43. If we won every single game I dare say we might even win the league. But that isn't going to happen, especially the way we are playing now.

'But we'll keep going until that's mathematically impossible. We needed a three or four-game run to get back in it. We won at Marine, and we needed another two or three wins on the trot. Now we need a five, six-game run.

'If we lose again we probably need a seven, eight-game run, which at this level is unrealistic. I can't remember the last time a team went on an eight-game winning streak.'

Leon Mettam will pull on a Lynn shirt for the last time at Nantwich Town this afternoon as he completes a one-month loan deal. The Tamworth frontman has scored three goals in four appearances and has helped temporarily plug the void left by the departure of top scorer George Thomson to Chester.

The Linnets missed out on signing frontman Ben Mackey in the week and the club's manager is targeting a victory at Nantwich to relieve some of his growing frustration.

Setchell, who will once again be without midfielder David Bridges through injury, said: 'We've just got to keep going. We've got to try and get to around 70 to 75 to better what we did last year. We got 68 points then.

'We've got to be able to hold our own at home against these top sides and go away against the bottom-half sides and be able to pick up wins. Those two things are two key areas in future seasons that we've definitely got to put right.'

Lynn beat the Dabbers – who sit 19th and will play their first game under new boss Phil Parkinson today – 2-1 in September's reverse fixture.