ACCRINGTON Stanley assistant manager Jimmy Bell is confident the Reds will banish their away-day agony in 2011 as they travel to Morecambe for a ‘must-win’ encounter.

Without a single league victory outside East Lancashire, Stanley’s dismal record on the road has seen them sucked unexpectedly into a potential relegation battle.

It was not so long ago that – after a bright start to the campaign – John Coleman’s men were talking up their chances of reaching the play-offs come May.

But just one win from nine has triggered a slide down the table, although talk of a relegation dogfight is too premature with more than half of the season’s fixtures remaining.

Nevertheless, Bell insists there may come a time that Stanley look worryingly over their shoulder if results don’t improve outside the Crown Ground.

On Boxing Day last year, the Reds secured a 2-1 win at Morecambe – on their last ever visit to Christie Park – and Stanley’s number two is hoping for more joy at the Shrimps’ new Globe Arena.

“It’s a must win game,” said Bell. “Morecambe are down there with us, so we can’t afford to lose.

“They have been down there virtually all season, whereas for us it’s been a slow drip down the table. We’ve not put two wins together.

“It’s important that we get that first away win of the season.

“I can’t actually believe we’ve got to the New Year without picking up even one away win.

“It’s unbelievable considering that we’ve played some smashing football this season, apart from one or two games.

“If you look back to the first half of the season, when we were in and around the play-offs, it’s frightening that we’re in the position that we’re in now.

“We’re just above the drop zone and we have to get away from there.

“But a couple of wins can take you straight up the table. It’s the same for most teams in this division.

“That’s how easy it is. In a week in football, you can almost slip down from the top six to nearer the bottom six.”

Accrington’s last outing came in a disappointing 2-0 defeat at struggling Barnet and, since then, they have gone three weeks without a match due to the recent big freeze.

And their frustration at losing at Underhill to a side in the bottom two was further compounded on Tuesday when Barnet were beaten 3-1 by another of the league’s out-of-sorts clubs, Stockport County.

It has put further pressure on Stanley to land a positive result against Sammy McIlroy’s Shrimps tomorrow.

Bell said: “We should have won at Barnet and we’re still looking to get that result out of our system.

“The fact that Stockport went to Underhill and won puts a little bit more pressure on us because they’ve overtaken us in the league table.

“It’s made it even more imperative that we pick up points at Morecambe.

“Barnet will have one eye on our game and will probably be praying for a draw.”