YORK City centre-back Keith Lowe is paying no attention to bookmaker odds that have made the club 66-1 outsiders for relegation.

The sixth-bottom Minstermen currently lie six points clear of the Football League trapdoor with a vastly superior goal difference to all of the clubs below them in the standings.

But Lowe does not feel such a cushion merits the generous price offered by some betting companies with five fixtures left to play.

That run-in starts with tomorrow’s home match against a 22nd-placed Hartlepool side who will move to within two points of their hosts should they win at Bootham Crescent.

Said Lowe: “I’m not taking any notice of what the bookmakers’ prices are.

“We’re just knuckling down and taking things one game at a time.

That might be an old cliché, but it’s true.

“The job is far from being completed. Football can change just like that and we’re not counting our chickens yet.

“We want to be safe as soon as possible and then look at how many points we can finish on.

There’s a lot of confidence running through the group and we are picking up points at the moment.

“At this stage, every point matters and tomorrow is another big game when we will be looking for another three.”

Lowe also has a double incentive to defeat Hartlepool, as he looks to help his old team Cheltenham to beat the drop too.

The bottom-of-the-table Robins currently lie three points from safety.

And, having made 133 appearances for the Gloucestershire club - more than he has for any other team - Lowe is keen to help their survival bid in any way possible.

“That’s definitely an added incentive for me,” the 29-year-old defender admitted.

“I’ve got a lot of good friends still at Cheltenham and some are on the coaching side of things now so, if we can help them out in anyway, that would be great.”

Lowe is backing City’s supporters, meanwhile, to win their off-pitch battle against their Hartlepool counterparts with the visitors having sold their full allocation of 2,000 tickets for the contest.

He added: “I’m hearing there will be a big crowd so I’m really looking forward to it. I don’t think there will be a problem with our fans drowning out the noise from their supporters.

“They have been great all season for us and we probably won’t know the Hartlepool fans are there.”

Lowe is poised to line up on the right-hand side of a back three again tomorrow with the team having taken eight points from a possible 12 since dispensing with a four-man defence.

“I am enjoying it,” Lowe said of that tactical switch. “I’ve not played in that formation or position much before but I think I’ve adapted quite well.”

Lowe went on to express his admiration for the roles goalkeeper Michael Ingham and fellow centre- back Dave Winfield have played in the club’s recent run having both emerged from months in the Bootham Crescent wilderness.

“They’ve done really well to make sure they were ready when called upon,” Lowe pointed out.

“That’s football and I’ve been there myself where you are waiting a long, long time to play a game of football, which is what we are all here for.”

The ex-Wolves and QPR centre-half is now hoping to improve on his already career-best tally of six goals in a single season during the final five fixtures, reasoning: “Seven sounds a lot better than six so I’m definitely trying to add to that and I go out to try and score in every game.”

City’s new dad of twins has also revealed the part his wife Sophie is playing in ensuring last season’s The Press Player of the Year remains on top of his game through the early days of fatherhood and final crucial weeks of the league campaign.

“My wife is unbelievable,” Lowe said. “She looks after me as well as the twins, so I’m getting plenty of sleep and I’m all right to play.”