Paul McNally insists City of Liverpool can’t afford to dwell on being in the playoffs – describing the final eight matches as cup finals.
Elliot Morris was the match-winner again for the Purps in their 2-0 win over Widnes last time out. The former Skelmersdale United attacker’s double helped City of Liverpool into the top five at Witton Albion’s expense, after Jon Macken’s side were out of action.
McNally’s side have a slender cushion in the Northern Premier League top five but hold a deserved place among the playoff contenders. Only Leek have earned more points in their last six matches and the Purps boss says their form has defied his expectations but they can’t get carried away.
“The only blip on it was the draw with Hanley, I felt we deserved to win it but it was a tough Tuesday night game and we only came away with a point,” he told Off The Park. “If you asked me four games ago that we’d win three, I’d have taken your hand off for it. It’s in our hands now, it’s just about taking each game as it comes.
“There are a few teams who are in a similar vain of form and that’s why the league is so tight. It’s not just the last six games that we’ve been in form, we’ve been consistent since November but the form shows now that we’re the second form side. We’ve caught up (with the games) now and it’s a better reflection of where we should really be in the table.”
There are eight games remaining in the Northern Premier League West and for the top-five hopefuls, the league table is on a knife-edge. Prescot Cables, Runcorn Linnets and Bootle all sit four points clear of the Purps between second and fourth.
Meanwhile; Witton Albion, Clitheroe and Stalybridge Celtic are all within touching distance, while Widnes, Nantwich, Avro and Mossley are among those eyeing a late surge.
But McNally has called on his side to temper their excitement and not look too far ahead. He added: “We can’t shout it from the rooftops yet until the final game is done, there’s still eight games left and everything is so topsy-turvy.
“We could find ourselves fifth then the next day in seventh, it’s that tight, at the same time – we could easily push on to second. It’s exciting but a perilous position at the minute, we’ve got to take each game as it comes. With eight games left, every game is a cup final.”
City of Liverpool travel to Newcastle Town on Saturday, a team they beat 3-1 just a couple of weeks ago. Despite the scoreline, McNally was full of praise for Neil Baker’s side as they look to avoid becoming the latest scalp for the Staffordshire side.
Under Baker, Newcastle Town have rose from a precarious position to within 10 points of the top five. For the Purps, they too still have “work to do”. He added: “They were fantastic when we played them, they were one of the best footballing sides that we’ve been up against.
“We had a solid performance that day and took our chances but it’s going to be a really tough day which is why we’re not counting our chickens, we’re going there, we know we’ve got a job to do and there’s points to pick up. We don’t think we’re over the line yet, we still have work to do, these are the times when it gets either tougher.”
[Featured Image: City of Liverpool]
