Skelmersdale United manager Paul McNally has lauded his side’s performance as they saw off Burscough to keep the pressure on the title race but insists it is far from over.
Skem returned to winning ways thanks to a brace from Elliot Morris whilst Danny Mitchley and top goalscorer Mikey Howard all found the back of the net in the triumph over their rivals.
Elsewhere Wythenshawe Town kept the pressure on McNally’s side but also handed them an opportunity after they handed Macclesfield their first home defeat of the season and the second straight loss.
McNally’s side eclipsed the wrongs of their last outing against Winsford United as a tepid display saw the hosts 3-0 down at the break.
They could only claw two goals back and failed to make ground on Danny Whittaker’s side who were edged out by Prestwich Heys.
“It was a good game to be fair, typical derby game, strong tackles and some good play from both sides,” he told Off The Park.
“I was happy we come away with the win, we were under pressure at times and we played some good football, I was happy to get the three points.
“There was a 10-minute spell when we went 2-0 up and they came back and got the goal themselves. I thought we were a bit under the cosh and they may get one but we stepped up another gear, scored two goals in five or 10 minutes to end the game.
“It was a good performance from the lads and I still think they have a few gears to go into when they start clicking again.
“The front three, they were really good. Danny Mitchley doesn’t get a lot of praise, he’s an unsung player upfront but he’s experienced and I personally think there’s not many better number nines in the league for why he does and what he brings. The other two profit from the way he plays, it was nice to get all three of them on the scoresheet.
“We’ve got lads coming back from injury as well hopefully in the next couple of weeks hopefully we’ll get a strong squad. Hopefully we can be a bit ruthless because we’ve got some tough fixtures coming up in the next month or two.”
Three points separate Skem and Wythenshawe whilst just there is just two between themselves and Macclesfield. Avro are also lurking not far behind with games in hand but McNally feels it is far from over.
“I’ve always thought it was never just between us and Macclesfield. I always thought it was closer than what everyone thought, the only benefit the two of us at the top have got is that we’ve got games in hand on the others.
“We’re a couple of points ahead but we’ve still got to go play those couple of teams at their ground so it’s not over there’s loads of twists and turns.”
Heys will be looking to inflict similar damage on a promotion-hopeful when Skelmersdale visit on Saturday but McNally isn’t treating the test lightly.
“We’re not going there lightly. We’re going to show them the respect they deserve, they’re not a bad side. They’ve improved since the last time they played us, they felt hard done by the last time they played us, they felt they should’ve got more than just a 2-1 defeat.
“They’ve improved, we’ll be hoping to go there and get a victory, it’s a tough place to go, to keep us on the coattails or possibly overtake them if all things go well.”
