CONFERENCE promotion specialist Craig Stanley accepts there is more hard graft to come as Eastleigh chase their Football League dream.

The vastly experienced former Bristol Rovers midfielder came on as substitute at half-time for Harry Pell at Lincoln on Saturday.

“It’s a very tough place to come,” the 32-year-old ex-Aldershot captain said.

“It’s quite a lucky ground, though,” he added. “I’ve won every time I’ve come here.

“They didn’t have as many people as they usually get in, but the crowd are still hostile and get behind the team.

“The way the team play means you don’t get a moment’s peace.

“You have to get rid of the ball quickly because there are people always around you.”

Stanley, who has previously won promotion from the Conference with Hereford in 2006 and Morecambe in 2007, was reluctant to talk about potential play-off opponents.

But, with just a point needed from their final game of the regular season against Kidderminster at the Silverlake Stadium next Saturday to confirm a top five finish, Stanley is fully aware of the task to come.

“We’re still not there and we’ve got to realise that,” he said.

“Either one of the teams at the top, Barnet or Bristol Rovers, isn’t going to go automatically up, so that’s going to be very difficult for them to take.

“But the team with all the momentum usually does very well, though you can’t think just because we’ve won the last few games that we’re going to win it (the play-offs).

“I think people haven’t wanted us to do well, so we’re starting to show people what we can do.

“We’re supposedly the big money spenders, this, that and the other.

“There’s been great support from the fans that have come from the lower leagues to try and get into League Two.

“But we still know that it’s going to be very difficult. We could still have four games to go to get promotion.”