AFTER so long playing catch up, Phil Parkinson admits the challenge for Wanderers is to wind themselves up all over again.

The Whites boss knows there is a mental test facing his players tomorrow as they look to stretch the gap between themselves and visitors Burton to seven points.

Plenty of hard work has gone into clawing back a safety deficit which at one point stood at nine points. But Parkinson went to great lengths to underline yesterday the job is nowhere near complete.

“To keep ourselves out of the bottom three is key,” he said. “Our aim all along has been to get to January in touching distance, as close to the teams just above us as we can. This four or five games now is really important.

“We have to be mentally and physically ready to go right to the wire. We can’t sit back and admire our handiwork over the last couple of months.

“The key for me is not to make this a four horse race. We have to try and bring other teams into it. The only way we do that is by winning games.”

Parkinson also believes the fans have a role to play tomorrow, giving his side their best possible backing.

“The support has been good this season,” he said. “The atmosphere inside the ground is crucial.

“We can’t go into the game thinking because Burton haven’t had good results recently or that they are bottom of the table this is will take care of itself. It will be a battle.

“I have watched Burton’s last couple of games and it’ll be a scrap. We have to be ready to fight tooth and nail.”