STANLEY striker Kayden Jackson has his eyes on the League Two title after firing the Reds to within three points of leaders Luton Town.
The 24-year-old scored the only goal of the game as John Coleman's men saw off Cambridge at the Wham Stadium on Saturday to climb into second spot in the table.
And, with Luton held to a draw against Cheltenham, the gap is just three points with the current top two set to face off at Kenilworth Road on Saturday week.
Before then Stanley have a trip to Newport County and a home derby with Morecambe to look forward to and 13-goal frontman Jackson is relishing the run-in, one he hopes will end with glory come the end of the season.
He said: “We have said from day one at the club that we wanted to win the league but we won’t get carried away, the gaffer will keep our feet on the ground.
“There is a long way to go, there are 12 games left, and we have got to play everyone around us which personally I am looking forward to.
“All we can do is keep putting in 100 per cent and if we do this we will get where we want to be at the end of the season.”
Stanley have won nine of their past 11 games, losing just once, to storm into title contention and Jackson believes their habit of winning ugly can prove crucial in the coming weeks.
“Before the last three games we were chatting among ourselves and Seamus Conneely said said it going to be a team that wins the ugly games that gets promoted or will be there or thereabouts," Jackson told Stanley's official website.
“Thankfully we have done that in the last three games. The pitches are difficult, sometimes it’s icy and cold, sometimes its soft, and it takes a while to get used to them.
“We can’t play the football we were at the start of the season, the nicer football, on these types of pitches but we will keep working hard and you could see on Saturday that everyone put a shift in for the team and most importantly we are getting the results."
Jackson's winner on Saturday was his sixth goal in his last 11 games and, having got the better of George Taft in the battle for the ball in the build-up to the goal, the forward was pleased to keep his scoring streak going.
The U's felt the former Swindon man had fouled Taft but Jackson said: “A few times I have got in a good position and I have been bundled over and not been given anything.
“That’s football – sometimes you get them sometimes you don’t. I don’t think it was a foul, I think it was two players going for the ball and thankfully it went in.
“I am delighted with 13 and, as a striker, you set yourself targets,” said Jackson, who turned 24 last Thursday.
“I am well on my way to being where any striker wants to be at the end of the season. I keep my targets to myself but I will keep plugging away and hopefully we will keep getting the wins, that’s the main thing.”
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