Pitchero Non League

Simon Burton

...promotion from the North West Counties League Premier Division.

Town have propelled themselves into the thick of a thrilling title race, winning their last nine league matches.

Their 3-0 win over Alsager Town on Tuesday night, following on from a success against Silsden last Saturday, means they are three points behind leaders Ramsbottom United, with a game in hand.

And crucially, their free-scoring form means they have closed the goal difference gap on their rivals. Ahead of the weekend clash with relegation-threatened Stone Dominoes, Burton revealed his side were fully focused on the task in hand, though insisted that they would not be getting carried away despite their lofty position.

“It’s been a really pleasing few days,” he said. “The way we performed in the second half against Alsager, and the desire and work rate we showed right up to the end, was really good.

“We’ve not played great football, but its effective. And at this stage of the season it is all about results.

“We are focusing on the next game. These are cliches, but there are eight cup finals for us between now and the end of the season, and if we can win them all then anything could happen.

“I am happy with the way the lads are playing and training. There will undoubtedly be tired legs and some jaded players at this stage, especially playing Saturday-Tuesday, but they just need to put it in for the last eight games, and there could be a great reward at the end.”

Burton was delighted with the performance of Jason Carey, who emerged from the bench to inspire a second half shellacking of Alsager on Tuesday night.

“Jason changed the game,” Burton said. “He set the first goal up for Warren Bellew and then scored two himself.

“We’ve had to change the way we play a bit, due to tiredness and the conditions.

“Bumpy pitches make it harder to play zippy passing football, so we have played a bit more direct, a bit of percentage football.

“It’s not always pretty, but with the pace we have up front, and the players we have, it can be very effective.”

Tags: News | Runcorn Town

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