City of Liverpool manager Paul McNally insists his side must be wary of Hednesford Town’s threat despite their league position.
The Purps ended their run of successive league defeats with a draw against Avro as Josh Quarless equalised late on.
City of Liverpool have two games in hand on the likes of Avro and fifth-placed Chasetown as they sit five points off the playoff places.
The point against playoff-chasing Avro pleased McNally as he describes it as a step in the “right direction”.
“We picked up a point from a losing position, I don’t think we should have been (behind), we played well against a tough, organised team,” he told Off The Park. “We’ve gone behind to a counter and come from behind so we’ll take but I felt we could’ve won, we could’ve been ahead earlier and from there, I don’t think we were going to get beat.
“You’d take a point if it means avoiding defeat, it stopped the slide of two defeats so hopefully it moves us in the right direction.
“Most of the games that we played have been good, against Avro – besides the first 15 minutes which might’ve been a hangover from Witton – we’ve been solid and looked good, I feel performances have been decent, albeit you don’t always get what you deserve,” McNally added.
“Avro are one of the most organised teams in the league, they have players that fight for eachother, they’re one of the top teams in the league on their day but I feel we might’ve edged it – although they might’ve thought the same. It shows the levels that we’re striving for, Avro have been in the top five or six this season so it shows the strides we’re making.”
While Hednesford find themselves in a precarious position, sitting second from bottom, further up the table the Prups could move up to as high as eighth if results go their way.
And McNally says his side isn’t a million miles away but has warned that the Pitmen aren’t “mugs”.
He said: “We’re not a million miles away from the top five, it’s basically win our games in hand and hopefully push us on. Once you’re in and around them, it’s harder to drop out of them than to get into them, that’s how I feel.
“We’ve got to catch up to them but some of them teams can lose a game but it’s about solidifying our position if we get there.
“They’re no mugs, they’re up there with anyone in the league on form, they’ve beaten a few decent teams recently. It’s a totally different team from what we played earlier in the season, if they had the team they have now, they’d be near the top.
“It’s going to be a hard game, Hednesford are a massive club, they’ve got the resources to be at the top end of the table and are the team in form, we’re ready for a battle.”
