'No-one is on the beach at our football club, that mentality will never be' - Gosport Borough boss Shaun Gale outlines stance on 'faint' play-off hopes

And the Boro chief stressed neither he or his current crop of players would accept any member of the squad letting performance levels slide in the remaining four fixtures of the season.

Ninth-placed Gosport head into their meeting with Weston-super-Mare - in fifth - on Saturday some nine points off the play-off positions with just 12 points left available to them this term.

The unlikely scenario of achieving a top-five finish has even left Gale admitting the chances of managing that outcome are being to appear ‘faint’.

Yet with games against direct play-off rivals Weston, sixth-placed Chesham and Yate Town - in seventh - still to come, Boro can at least take points off teams around them while boosting their own chances.

But no matter what the outcome is upon the season finale, Gale will accept nothing less than his troops putting in every last effort to continue their play-off push.

‘It is faint (play-off chance), but we still believe it, we'll keep going. We didn't get the result last Saturday (at Kings Langley) and we didn't get the result we wanted the Saturday before (defeat at home to Taunton),' said the Gosport boss.

‘We've got to win the game (on) Saturday to keep us in the hunt, we've got to get three points, it's as simple as that.

‘Listen, no-one is on the beach at our football club, that mentality will never be. I don't allow that and the players I've got at the club don't allow it either.

‘I can't ask no more of my lads, they haven't downed tools whatsoever this season, they've been at it no matter what time I've put out - whether that be young or old - you can never accuse them of not trying or having a go.

‘We'll be ready, we'll be fired up to play Weston on Saturday, we're at home and we've got to make the most of our home advantage.’

Boro boss Gale is hoping to have Billie Busari back available after he missed out at Kings Langley last weekend with an ankle problem.

But forward Nick Dembele will once again be able to feature for National League South Braintree, who travel to Hawks on Saturday, after dual-signing with the Essex side at the end of last month.