PICKERING Town manager Paul Marshall (pictured) will be looking for his side to bounce back this weekend when they visit Handsworth Parramore in the Toolstation Northern Counties East League.

The Pikes, who are still second in the premier division table, have gone off the rails in their last three fixtures allowing league leaders Cleethorpes Town to move two points clear with three games in hand.

With only six more games to play, the Pikes’ title ambitions are hanging by a thread but the club is still aiming to secure second spot to equal their best ever league finish.

Results last week were disappointing in the extreme with a midweek defeat against Hemsworth Miners Welfare sandwiched by draws, home and away, against bottom of the table Retford United.

If the Pikes had only maintained their impressive form and won the last three games, it would have kept the pressure on Cleethorpes who have displayed increasing signs of vulnerability in the past eight days with 3-0 defeats against both Albion Sports and Maltby Main.

However, Pickering’s slip-ups have allowed Cleethorpes to strengthen their grip on the top spot and it will now take an unlikely collapse by the Lincolnshire club to offer Marshall’s side any chance of promotion.

Tomorrow’s opponents Handsworth, who are fifth in the table, ended a three game losing streak with a 1-0 victory at home to Thackley in midweek.

Harrogate Railway Athletic suffered an eighth consecutive defeat in midweek and are still not safe from the drop.

Acting manager Ray Green has six more games to secure the club’s premier division survival starting tomorrow at home to Clipstone.

“The majority of the senior first team lads who were registered at club when I took over have either left, been unavailable, or been injured,” said Green.

“That’s made it really difficult.”

Selby Town are now five games unbeaten in division one following a 2-2 draw at Campion on Wednesday.

But they are now out of play-off contention ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Eccleshill United.

Knaresborough Town, who visit Teversal, are seventh in the table but eight points adrift of the top six with three games to play.