Carlisle boss Hughes sets sights on play-off picture

Mark Hughes concedes the National League title already looks out of Carlisle United's reach but has told his side to start landing psychological blows on potential play-off opponents.

A 3-2 win over Scunthorpe United on Tuesday allowed the Blues to land one punch by taking third place off their opponents, albeit still leaving them 11 points behind leaders Rochdale who have two games in hand.

This weekend Hughes's side have a chance to land the a second blow on a play off hopeful when they make the trip to Gloucestershire to face Robbie Savage's sixth-placed Forest Green Rovers.

"It's going to be difficult to go up by right as champions – I think everybody understands that and that has probably been the case for a number of weeks and even before last weekend," Hughes told BBC Radio Cumbria.

"So we are very focused on what we have to do between now and the end of the season and that reality is probably that we need to make sure we have a play-off place."

Just one team goes up automatically from the fifth tier to League Two with teams placed second to seventh fighting for the second promotion spot.

Forest Green lost 2-1 at Rochdale on Wednesday, and have slipped to sixth, four points behind Carlisle.

Hughes, who managed Savage between 1999 and 2004 when he was Wales boss and signed him when he was manager of Blackburn in 2005, said he was looking forward to meeting up with the former midfielder.

He added: "It will be good to have a game and go head-to-head and Robbie is quite animated on the touchline as we know so we'll see how he behaves as well."