ACCRINGTON Stanley boss John Coleman has still not given up on his hopes of automatic promotion this season – but he has conceded that his side can afford no more slip-ups after they dropped back out of the play-off places at the weekend.

Stanley looked set to move level on points with the top three on Friday night after coming from behind to lead 2-1 at Macclesfield, but an injury-time equaliser from substitute Vinny Mukendi denied them all three points.

The Reds, who had moved into the play-off spots for the first time in six months with a 3-1 win over Southend in midweek, slipped from fifth to eighth on Saturday as other results went against them.

Torquay United and Gillingham both had emphatic away victories at Bradford City and Lincoln City respectively, while Stevenage rescued a late point at bottom club Stockport.

Stanley are just goal difference away from the top seven and three of their last five games at home in an encouraging run-in – the first of which is against mid-table Oxford on Saturday.

The Reds have won their last eight games at the Crown Ground but have failed to win in five on their travels, and the latest of those slip-ups away from home means they are now four points short of the automatic spots.

“We were thinking about threatening the automatic places but we’re going to need a lot of slip-ups now and we’re not going to be able to afford to slip up,” said Coleman.

“It’s disappointing. You just feel as though we’re cursed away from home at the moment because that’s three draws on the bounce when we should have been winning the game hands down.

“To concede when we did, I thought we were over those nervous 90s but it came back to haunt us.

“A lapse of concentration cost us big time. We should have won the game, we were comfortably the better team.”

Stanley had appealed in vain for offside following Macclesfield’s equaliser but midfielder Ian Craney felt they had themselves to blame for missing an opportunity to increase the pressure on the sides above them.

“People were saying it was offside but it was a sloppy goal and everyone was so disappointed,” he said.

“People were saying what they thought in the dressing room and rightly so, getting a few things off their chest, but we’ll get into training and try to put it right on Saturday.

“In the second half we were outstanding. We showed great desire.

“We’re unbeaten in eight games now and we’ve got to realise we’re still in the mix.”