Paul McNally is pleased with the reaction from his City of Liverpool players as he welcomed the plaudits for his side.
The Purps returned to winning ways after a two-week layoff thanks to their 2-0 win away at strugglers 1874 Northwich. Elliott Morris scored two quickfire goals in the latter stages to send the travelling contingent home happy.
They returned to action following a series of postponements last weekend, among them was a frustration late cancellation against Hanley Town – 45 minutes before kick-off. Their last outing was the disappointing 4-1 defeat to Prescot Cables as mistakes came back to haunt McNally’s side.
An inspirational showing from Morris fired City of Liverpool to within five points of the top five with a game in hand. The Northern Premier League West table remains agonisingly tight with seven points separating fourth and 11th.
After a nervous start, the Purps clicked into gear and for McNally, the win could’ve been more comfortable. He told Off The Park: “It was a tough game, in tough conditions, you could see we hadn’t played for a while at the start, we were tentative and give them opportunities.
“They were looking to get a result because of their position but once we got into our stride, we were comfortable then.
“It was a good win, 2-0 could’ve been more and we’ve kept a clean sheet. The conditions were horrendous at times and the game almost became farcical because people couldn’t stand up in certain areas, it could’ve been more but we’re happy with the points.”
This weekend could see the Purps take a greater stride in their push for the playoffs amid a season full of adversity. They host Stalybridge Celtic with three points separating the two and a win for City of Liverpool could see them leapfrog the Greater Manchester side.
James Kinsey’s men have endured a difficult run of late, winless since their 4-0 triumph over Bootle at the beginning of January, but they will be looking to set the record straight but City of Liverpool will be hoping to have other ideas and form a run.
McNally added: “They’re a tough team Stalybridge, a very good side with quality players, we’re under no illusions and we’re hoping we can take it to them.
“A win would push us up the table and it’s where I feel we should be. The lads were down after the Prescot Cables game, we got beat, we’ve licked our wounds but it wasn’t a true reflection of the game – errors caused that and we’ve moved on.
“We’ve bounced back, it’s the sign of a good team – one that can respond – we’ve got a good team and they’re rightly earning the plaudits.”
[Featured Image: City of Liverpool]
