Chorley chairman urges players to maintain good Northern League form

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Andrew Holdsworth’s men are currently the best of the rest – in fourth spot – with the league title looking like it might be a three-horse race between leaders Netherfield, Blackpool and St Annes.

The Cumbrians are two points clear of the two Fylde coast clubs with Chorley a significant 27 points further back.

While refusing to give up on a title charge at this stage of the season, Mockett believes his men should concentrate on maintaining their current spot. A whole host of teams are right behind them in the table and the chairman is all too aware that just one defeat could see them plummet several places down the table.

“I think we have got to be realistic,” Mockett said.

“We are a fair way behind the top two or three.

“We are fourth but there are a bunch of teams who are all pretty close together.

“I think there is only five points separating four teams.

“We have just got to keep on winning. If we get 15 points this weekend, we will stay in fourth, but if we don’t we could drop down to fifth, sixth or seventh.”

Chorley travel to the division’s whipping boys Preston on Saturday.

Having won their previous three league games they head to West Cliff in good spirits, while their hosts languish at the bottom of the table having picked up just three points from 11 league games.

However, Mockett – who watched a weakened Chorley outfit lose to Leyland in the Lancashire Knockout Cup on Sunday – has warned his players not to take it easy this weekend and become their neighbour’s first scalp of the season.

“I remember Preston being in similar positions in previous seasons where they have been struggling in the league. I am not saying it’s happened for a year or two, but we have gone there and come a cropper once or twice in the past, so there won’t be any complacency.

“We are having a decent run in the league and hopefully we will get the 15 points against Preston.”

Meanwhile, Chorley’s Windsor Park will stage a match between a Northern League Under-21s representative XI against the MCC on Friday, starting at 11am.

The club’s Lancashire fast bowler Ed Moulton is expected to play for the Under-21s and could be joined in the team by Harry Barclay, while Chorley’s South African overseas star Wian Van Zyl will feature for the MCC.