PICKERING Town boss Paul Marshall is targeting another FA Vase run after being drawn at Bridlington in the first round proper.

Marshall guided Tadcaster Albion to the last eight of the competition in 2015 and his Pikes team caused a shock last Saturday when they won 3-1 at Northern League first division hosts Consett.

It was a result Marshall reckons should provide a huge boost for the Mill Lane club’s prospects in a tournament normally dominated by sides from the league Consett operate in.

“The Northern League teams are always favourites to win the Vase, because they probably shouldn’t be playing at step five,” Marshall said. “They should be step four.

“But that’s what you come up against in the competition and last week we beat one of their teams, so I’m not as worried as I used to be about meeting them.”

The tie against fellow Northern Counties East League outfit Bridlington will be on October 22.

Marshall said: “It’s our local rivals, who have got a good team and a good manager, so I’m expecting a tough match. It will be a big occasion because a lot of the players know each other and have faced each other so many times over the years.

“We beat them at their place last season and they beat us at ours, so it’s a flip of a coin really to decide who has the best side, but we’re the team in form and we’ve just got to keep that going. Nobody gave us a chance at Consett but we came away with the win and, although it’s taken us a year, I feel we're getting somewhere near where I want to be.

“The likes of Ryan Blott and Nick Thompson have given us a big lift, as has Robert Chipps, who has done well in midfield since we gave him the chance he wanted from Dunnington.”

That victory followed a midweek 7-0 triumph at Barton Town Old Boys, which lifted Marshall’s men to eighth in the premier division, with the ability to go top if they win all their games in hand.

After their midweek meeting with Hemsworth was postponed due to the visitors’ FA Vase replay commitments, the Pikes return to league action tomorrow with their first Saturday fixture of the season at Mill Lane, against an inconsistent Maltby Main (3pm).

Marshall added: “You never know what you will get with Maltby. Sometimes, you can beat them quite comfortably then on other occasions they can go on a good run as they did at the end of last season.

“I’m hoping a few supporters will come along. We took a really good contingent to Consett and hopefully the town is starting to believe in the team again, because I feel we can kick on.”

Arguably, the Pikes’ toughest NCEL test of the season will follow on Tuesday with a trip to fourth-placed Thackley.

Marshall added: “They tend to be stronger at this stage of the season before the likes of (neighbours) Bradford Park Avenue and Farsley Celtic start poaching their players.”

Marshall suggested he could look to loan out keeper Peter Lawrie and Callum Ward to get them game time.

Meanwhile, Harrogate Railway's struggles continued in midweek as they fell 3-1 at home to Bridlington, despite Daniel Barrett's tenth-minute opener.

It is unlikely to get easier tomorrow as they visit high-flying Thackley.

Selby Town face a tough outing in division two, as they host second-placed Winterton Rangers.

Winterton are level on points at the top with Penistone and Knaresborough Town, who host fellow high-riders Grimsby Borough.