HARD work and determination will get Pickering Town back to winning ways, reckons boss Tony Hackworth.

The player-boss watched his side slump to their first defeat since the start of December last weekend as Albion Sports came to the Recreation Ground and took away all three points in a 3-2 Northern Counties East League premier division victory.

They then performed with huge credit in the fourth round of the League Cup in midweek - only an extra-time goal from Jonathan Oglesby ending a courageous display in a 3-2 defeat against high-flying Cleethorpes Town.

Joe Danby scored both goals as the Pikes twice fought back before eventually bowing out to a team chasing title favourites Tadcaster Albion.

That performance, which followed a heart-to-heart between Hackworth and his players after the Albion disappointment, should put Pickering in good heart ahead of the visit of bot - tom of the pile Nostell Miners Welfare tomorrow.

Nostell have managed just nine points from 22 games this season and last won in the league in October. But Hackworth does not see the game this weekend as a definite three points.

“I don’t take that approach to any football match,” he said.

“You have to beat what’s in front of you. Nostell are down there and are fighting for their lives. But there is no reason why we can’t go on another good run.

“We have got to play quite a few sides that are below us in the table. We have to respond the right way. We spoke at length after the game against Albion Sports and put the ques - tion to the lads about where they thought it went wrong.

“That was a good thing. You go back two or three months and if we got a defeat on a Saturday there was a lot of doom and gloom about the place. The lads are desperate to put things right.

“The answers I got back were what I wanted to hear - sheer hard work and determination.”

Hackworth is likely to have a few selection issues ahead of the game, adding: “We had one or two knocks on Saturday. Sam Calvert is still struggling. Niall Tilsley came off injured. Lewis Taylor is struggling with an ankle injury.”

Elsewhere, Selby Town go to Rossington Main in the NCEL first division, while Knaresborough Town host Yorkshire Amateur.

After eight games without a win, Harrogate Town have fired back into form with maximum hauls against Boston United and Solihull Moors.

They will bid to make it three victories on the spin at Gainsborough Trinity.

Harrogate Railway host Prescot Cables at Station View in the Evo-Stik League first division, where Scarborough Athletic’s tie at Burscough starts at 2.30pm.