SWINDON Town manager Richie Wellens has targeted seven wins from his side’s final 11 games of the season in order to best give them a chance of qualifying for the League Two play-offs.

Victory away at Carlisle United at the weekend would have seen Town trim the gap between themselves and the top seven to just two points.

As it was, Wellens’ side slipped to a 2-1 defeat at Brunton Park and are now down in 10th in the table, six points adrift of Carlisle in the last of the play-off places.

The Cumbrians also provided Wellens with his first opposition as Town manager following his appointment at the Energy Check County Ground back in November.

A 4-0 home loss that day left Swindon 18th in the table and nine points below the top seven.

Wellens is pleased with how his side have found form to climb the standings since his arrival, although he insists Town have always been outsiders to make the play-offs given their below-par start to the campaign.

If they are to defy the odds, though, Wellens says getting beyond the 70-point mark is a must over the final two months of the season.

“We have got 11 games left and the aim for me is to win seven to get to 71 points,” said Wellens, whose side travel to Stevenage on Tuesday night.

“We are going to lose a game, but it is important we don’t lose two or three in a row because then the season will peter out and I don’t want that to happen.

“There have been a lot of positives in recent weeks and there is a feel-good factor coming back to the club, so we want to finish the season on a high.

“If we don’t make the play-offs, then we don’t make them.

“From where we have come from, we were never expected to, but if we are going to miss out, I want it to be by one or two games at the end – I don’t want it to be by four, five or six games.”

Town had taken 10 of the last 12 available League Two points prior to their trip to Carlisle, with the only blemish in that winning run a 1-1 draw at home to Grimsby Town on February 23.

Wellens felt his side were good enough to win that day and at Brunton Park too, with only the lack of a killer instinct in front of goal costing Swindon.

“Grimsby was the same. It was 1-1 and were on top,” said Wellens.

“We are battering teams, but you have got to score.

“The best teams score at vital times – the game changes and the opposition have got to step up. With the defenders Carlisle have got, we would have punished them.”