RUSS O’Neill says Guiseley are targeting maximum points from a league double header as they aim to ease their relegation worries.

The Lions face two games in quick succession when they host Southport tomorrow, followed by a trip to Curzon Ashton next Monday night.

O’Neill’s men are fourth-from-bottom and just three points clear of the relegation zone after they crashed to a 1-0 home defeat to Alfreton Town last Saturday.

The joint-manager says Guiseley are still in the driver’s seat for survival and just need to accumulate the points.

He says despite his side coming up against sides in 13th and 14th place in the table next, they are not going to be easy games against sides seeing out their seasons.

O’Neill added his side are also due some change in their fortunes as he feels they were unfortunate in their defeat to Alfreton at Nethermoor last weekend - their 10th loss of the season which has also included 15 draws from 31 games so far.

He said: “It’s massively important to try to get as many points as we can over this short space of time.

“We’ve not got the points return we have deserved over the last four games.

“We will be looking to get all six points from the next two games, but it’s going to be tough.

“We are under no illusions, all of the games are tough.

“We should have got something out of the game at Southport earlier in the season, but we lost 1-0.

“They are mid-table but Southport’s manager Liam Watson will make sure they are not just playing out the season.

“They have a really good squad. They are trying to push and get into the play-offs. We are not expecting them to take their foot off the gas.

“We would rather be playing as much as we can. Saturday-Tuesday suits us.”

O’Neill added he felt the Lions did not get the rub of the green in their 1-0 defeat to his former club Alfreton Town.

He said: “I thought it was an end-to-end game. We want to match them.

“I thought they only had one or two opportunities to affect our goal. We were just the wrong end of it.

“People say when you’re at the bottom everything conspires against you, but we can’t use that as an excuse. We are desperate for the points.”

Meanwhile, Guiseley bolstered their defensive ranks prior to the Alfreton clash with the signing of Kwame Boateng.

The 20-year-old former Bradford City defender started on the bench against Alfreton last weekend.