Town were four points clear of the bottom two when he took the reins and that gap now stands at six points although the club have dropped a place to 22nd.
Asked whether he still shared the same optimism as when he first arrived, Yates said: "We're confident without being cocky, you can't take anything for granted. One thing we know is we're right in the mix down there but there's also seven or eight other teams in it with us.
"The bottom line is we have to make sure we're not in the bottom two, ideally we want to finish as high as we can and build on something for next year but I'd take where we are now come the last day of the season if it was offered to me.
"That's not fear, it means we would still be a Football League club. Yes we want to finish the season well and on a high but it's a battle. We won't settle for finishing third from bottom but come the last game of the season I know we'd take it."
Source: Team Talk
Source: Team Talk