DEAN KEATES believes Wrexham are battling it out with "six or seven teams" for three play-off berths heading into the final month of the season.

The Reds played out a goalless draw with Chesterfield at The Racecourse on Saturday and are now seventh in the National League with seven games remaining.

Torquay, Hartlepool, Sutton and Stockport are challenging for the title but three of those clubs will have to settle for a play-off spot where they will be joined by another three sides.

Keates believes teams as low down as Maidenhead in 12th position - seven points behind Wrexham but with three games in hand - can still secure a top-seven finish.

"We are probably fighting for three slots in there but we are contesting it with about six or seven teams," said Keates.

"I wouldn't rule Maidenhead out of it, they have got a couple of games in hand.

"If they win those games in hand, they are right in the mix so that is the way they will be seeing it.

"All we can do is concentrate on ourselves and run our own race; we can only effect what Wrexham Football Club can do, and we will go out there next week and do our best for this football club to get three points."

Although teams can overtake Wrexham if they win their games in hand, Keates insists his side have got their destiny in their own hands because their play-off rivals have to face each other with the majority of the Reds' remaining games against clubs in the bottom half of the table.

"It is very tight," said Keates.

"We are still in the play-offs and for us inside the changing room as a group, we still believe we have got our destiny in our own hands.

"We have got to keep it that way. We are in control of it.

"We have got some games coming up now that we feel, 'right, can we go and make the most of them?'

"Everybody else around us are playing each other so both teams can't pick up maximum points"

It is difficult to set a points tally required to secure a top seven finish based on previous campaigns because there are four fewer fixtures to play as Macclesfield were wound up before the season started and Dover stopped playing games because of the row over funding to help clubs survive during the coronavirus pandemic.

Keates is just focussed on Wrexham trying to win their final seven games, starting with Saturday's home clash with Solihull Moors, to ensure they are involved in the play-offs.

"It's a hard one this season because of what has happened with Dover and Macclesfield. There are 12 points not available so tally wise, it will end up coming down," said Keates.

"We have got 21 points left to play for so will go and do our best to grab hold of 21 points.

"We are disappointed that we haven't picked up three points but we probably played better in the three defeats if I'm honest.

"In patches we created opportunities but we ground out a point against Chesterfield.

"We are still in there, we are still fighting, we will keep going over the next seven games and all being well come that last game of the season, we make sure we are in there going into an extra one, two or three games."

Keates has faith in his players that they can finish the job off.

"It is going to be interesting," said Keates. "There are going to be ups and downs and there is going to be a point where we drop out of the play-offs.

"That will probably be on the back end of Tuesday night because there are a couple of games.

"But we believe that with seven games left, we can give this football club an opportunity to prolong the season."