JAMIE Speare admits he would be happy if he didn't have another save to make between now and the end of the season.

The Accrington Stanley goalkeeper would usually prefer to be involved than a virtual spectator in games.

But he confessed he wouldn't mind taking a back seat from now on if it meant Stanley lifted the title.

"If I'm honest, I've not had a spectacular season from a personal point of view," Speare said.

"Sometimes I can get frustrated if I'm having a quiet game and start doing things to get myself involved.

"But if I have to stand and watch between now and April 26, I'll be happy."

Stanley need just 14 points from their remaining nine games and hope to reduce that to 11 points when they entertain Whitby Town tomorrow.

If they succeed, they will take one step nearer reaching the promised land of the Nationwide Conference.

"It's what we've strived for," Speare said. "Promotion has become a quest and it's the most important thing that I've had to play for in the last five or six years.

"The mood around the club is great at the moment. I think the assistant manager Jimmy Bell is worried we might get a bit lackadaisical, but I know that won't happen.

"The players are just enjoying training and we know how important it is to succeed."

Should they win the UniBond Premier title, as is looking more likely by the week, the 26-year-old, who is in his fifth season at the Crown Ground, says it will be all down to teamwork.

"The lads in front of me defending have done a great job, the midfield has worked hard defensively, and as well as scoring, the two forwards have always been looking to close people down," he said.

"The manager's always been one for working hard off the ball, and he believes that if you work hard, you will get the rewards.

"John's been around the non-league scene for years and got promoted with Morecambe, so he knows what it's like and what it takes to achieve promotion.

"The effort's been unbelievable in some games, and there have been times when we've been one or two goals down but still managed to win.

"Nerves don't appear to have set in for anyone yet. The lads are just looking forward to every single game, and the supporters have acted like a 12th man, which has helped in so many games we've played.

"It's nice to have a home game this week, and hopefully we'll get a good crowd. But even some of our away matches have been like home ones in terms of noise.

"I wouldn't have liked to have been the opposition goalkeeper at Lancaster last week with our fans behind him. My ears would have been ringing!

"At the home games all you can see is a sea of red - and the odd bare chest. And on our travels I think they have beaten all the average attendance records.

"The support's been unbelievable."