Michael Boulding insists City’s strikers need 20/20 vision to fire them to promotion.

Boulding has set himself a 20-goal target for the season and thrown down the gauntlet to fellow forwards Peter Thorne and Barry Conlon to follow suit.

The goals have dried up for the City frontline in recent weeks, with only two from open play in the last eight games.

Midfielders Nicky Law, Steve Jones, Paul McLaren and Dean Furman have all been on the scoresheet. And Boulding admits it is about time that the frontmen started getting their fill once again.

Thorne is still City’s top goal-getter with 11, although he has not hit the net since November 1. Boulding and Conlon are just behind on ten each.

Boulding, who notched 25 last season with relegated Mansfield, said: “If you look at the three regular forwards, we’ve got 31 goals between us.

“We’ve played together only once as a three, so if that figure was based on two players they’d both be around the 15 mark, which is a lot of goals for a front pair.

“But we need to do that again in this second half of the season. We’ve got to score plenty more and give the rest of the boys an easier time.

“You want goals to be shared around the team but it would be good if Thorney, Baz or I went on a run to the end of the season and got nearly 20. That would give everyone a big boost.

“It can certainly be done. You know what it’s like with forwards, you can get five or six in five games.

“You just need to catch form and you’re back up there again.”

Boulding enjoyed a prolific run leading up to Christmas when he scored in four games on the bounce. But he has not added to his tally since the 4-0 home romp over Morecambe.

He was left out of the Luton and Bury games as McCall tinkered with his attack, trying Jones in an advance role, but returned to play his part in both goals against Grimsby last week.

He added: “A couple of assists was good for me, though it would be nice to get a few more goals, but I’m happy if we’re winning.

“We had to get the victory because draws don’t really mean that much when you’ve had too many.

“Sometimes you have to be a little bit more attacking and go for the three points. We had a lot of shots on target and if you are consistently doing that, you’ve always got a great chance.

“I thought their keeper was man of the match and had an excellent game, which speaks for itself. We’ve got a big run of fixtures now and we’ve got to concentrate on every minute of every game.

“If we do that and all the players perform the way we can, we should start getting a little run going.”

If the arctic weather eases in time in the south, City will face fellow promotion-chasers Gillingham tomorrow – and find themselves up against a forward who is bang in form.

Simeon Jackson, who scored both Gillingham goals in their Valley Parade comeback, has been named PFA League Two fans’ player of the month for January.

The Canadian international has netted 13 times this season in the league. But Gills boss Mark Stimson believes he is not getting the credit he deserves from the fans.

Stimson said: “I’ve always been around teams where goalscorers are cheered from the first whistle to the last but I don’t ever hear his name being chanted.

“I find it really strange because he’s top scorer and he’s missed five league games so he could be streets ahead.”

Former Leeds midfielder Curtis Weston is suspended after receiving five yellow cards. Nicky Southall could replace him in the middle with Dennis Oli dropping back to right wing and Gary Mulligan partnering Jackson up front.

Gillingham have won four out of five to charge into the promotion race. The only blot on that run was a 2-1 loss to Peter Jackson’s Lincoln in their last home game.