18/10/2008 - Moses: Stags still looking up, rather than down
Most Blue Square Premier League tables in newspapers, programmes and on internet sites still show Mansfield Town in 11th place with 21 points, despite their four-point deduction earlier this month.
Not until 14 days have expired from the original hearing, during which time Mansfield could appeal (although they will not), will their tally be officially reduced.
But club skipper Adie Moses feels the delay gives a false impression of where the Stags stand.
He is only too aware that, realistically, they are just two points above the drop zone on 17, with four teams going down at this level.
Had Mansfield's form been good since they received notification of the docking, then they would still be in a mid-table position.
Unfortunately for them, it has coincided with their worst run of the season - three consecutive defeats to Woking, Stevenage and Burton Albion.
It has been frustrating for Moses that something out of the playing staff's hands has adversely affected their season.
But, equally, he knows it is they who now have to raise their game after the recent downturn in results.
The central defender is hoping he and his team-mates will turn over a new leaf against Wrexham at Field Mill this afternoon - the club who were relegated along with the Stags.
"We know the seriousness of the situation and where we are in the league with the deduction, but we have to get back to how we were at the start of the season," said Moses. "We have a lot of hard work to do.
"We are looking above not over our shoulders at the moment, because we still have time to get up there.
"I believe we have got a good squad and we are disappointed how things have gone of late.
"But it is a must-win game for us today - we have to get some points in the bag. A good result breeds confidence
"Wrexham have not had it all their own way at this level like us. It just proves it is not easy in this league because already they've had a change of manager.
"Our away form has been disappointing with just the one win, but our home form is still pretty good.
"We expect to win every week. That is not being big-headed but trying to be positive and trying to get on a winning run quickly."
From a personal point of view, Moses is just happy to get back out on the field after missing two games with a calf injury.
He had to go off at half-time in the 3-2 win at Salisbury and sat out the defeats at home to Woking and at Stevenage.
However, the former Barnsley man was back at Burton on Monday and was content with his own contribution, if not the 1-0 loss.
He said: "I was really happy with how I played in my first game back.
"I didn't feel anything and I didn't even think about it once the game got under way, so it was no problem.
"I didn't think there was too much in the game at Burton but the lad has pulled out a good strike for their goal.
"We were also a bit disappointed at the other end because we didn't play that well going forward and didn't create enough."
Moses knows there is no magic wand to finding solutions to Stags' problems and that the answer is likely to come from hard graft on the training pitch.
"It is hard to put a finger on why we are not creating chances," said Moses.
"It's hard to fathom because we were scoring goals for fun at the start of the season.
"We have tried to change the formation a little bit but maybe we are going to have to work a little more on that if that's how we decide to play.
"It is also frustrating because we are working really hard to try to keep clean sheets we need but have not been getting them.
"What you do have to do is get something out of the tight games, which aren't going our way."