ACCRINGTON Stanley are in the unusual position of having four home successive home games in the space of two weeks and boss John Coleman wants his side to take advantage.

The Reds are 16th in the League One table following a credible draw at Sunderland on Friday.

And, with up to three games in hand on the teams around them, the quartet of Wham Stadium fixtures offers the perfect opportunity to pull clear of the bottom four and banish any lingering relegation fears.

The Reds host Oxford United tonight with their opponents in the bottom four. Stanley have a four point buffer to the drop zone and Coleman is keen to widen it with fixtures against Southend United, Coventry City and Blackpool to follow between now and March 5.

“Over the last couple of years we have been very strong at home but we have had a mixed bag of late,” said Coleman whose side have taken more points on the road than at home this term, albeit from four more games.

“We have four home games now but we can only take one at a time. There is no point looking further ahead.

“Friday will be a good point if we can back it up with a win on Tuesday, you would take four points out of those two games every day of the week.”

Asked about his side’s inconsistency on home turf, Coleman added: “It is a difficult league and we haven’t had a lot of luck but the harder you work and the more you play in the other team’s half then the chances of luck favouring you become greater.”

The Reds boss is expecting a stiff test from Oxford despite their lowly league position, with Karl Robinson’s side having lost just one of their last six league games.

“We know it is going to be a difficult game but we know we are capable of putting in a good performance,” added Coleman.

“Karl has done really well in his managerial career, he did exceptionally well at MK Dons and he has had some really good players come through his books and he has been successful. “We are expecting his team to be strong and it will be a difficult game.

“They have had a good run of form and beat Portsmouth not so long ago so we are expecting a tough game.”