​Magpies playing catch up in pursuit of play-offs in National League North

​The Magpies picked up their second successive win on Tuesday night – the 4-2 derby success over Southport followed Saturday’s incredible 3-2 comeback at Merthyr Town.

It’s the first time Preece’s men – who host Radcliffe at Victory Park this weekend – have won back to back games in the league since the opening week of the season.

The six points means they have kept their hopes of finishing in the top seven alive albeit they are playing catch-up.

They are currently in 13th spot – six points shy of seventh-placed Telford United.

Preece insists his men remain in a decent position but concedes they can’t afford too many more poor runs between now and the end of the campaign.

"The problem we have got is we are playing a little bit of catch-up,” Preece told ChorleyFC TV.

"We are still six points off where we want to be so you want to be in there (play-offs) so that you could have a poor run.

"We have talked about it before; if you’re in there then that enables you to have a poor run and still be involved.

"Where as when you’re playing catch-up, you’ve got to keep winning to get in there.

"Once you’re in there, and you do have three or four games where things don’t go quite so well, you’re still going to be in and around it and can come back.

"So that’s the position we are in. We’ve got to deal with that. We are only six points off the play-offs so we are not in a bad position.”

Meanwhile, Magpies strike duo Tom Carr and Ang Popoola have been praised by Preece.

​The pair have both been on the scoresheet over the past two games to help Chorley to victories at Merthyr Town and at home to Southport respectively.

Carr scored with virtually the last kick of the game when he latched onto a terrific through-ball by Popoola, right, as Preece’s men dramatically defeated Merthyr 3-2 at the weekend.

With Jack Sampson and Kole Hall long-term absentees, the pair – along with Harry Ibbitson – have had to take on much of the workload up front.

And it is work they are not afraid to shy away from – much to the delight of Preece.

“It’s nice to see the strikers score goals,” said Preece. “We do get enough balls in the box to give them the opportunities.

“They work so hard outside of the box, trying to hold the ball up – they were up against two big centre-halves on Tuesday night.

“I thought they both did really well. Tom Carr, first half, was excellent – he won loads of flicks when he has no right to win them.

“Ang was strong when it was played into his body and they did start to run Southport ragged in the second half. That’s credit to them. They are starting to come into a bit of form.”