PICKERING Town manager Paul Marshall has said responsibility for promotion now lies with his side as the Northern Counties East League premier season approaches the home stretch ahead of tomorrow’s home fixture against Clipstone.

The Pikes' Mill Lane meeting with Albion Sports was postponed at the weekend, leaving them in fifth place and 18 points behind leaders AFC Mansfield, before they were knocked out of the North Riding Senior County Cup quarter-finals by Scarborough Athletic in midweek.

Marshall is not too concerned about the drop in standings, though, as he acknowledges the table could change substantially by the end of the season given the current imbalance in fixture schedules.

Mansfield have the most games under their belt with 28, while Pontefract Collieries have the fewest with 21. Handsworth Parramore and Maltby Main have played 25 and 27, respectively, while Pickering have 24.

Marshall said: “It’s getting to that point in the season where teams have games in hand.

“Mansfield have become the team to beat – they’ve won their last eight in a row – and everybody’s hoping they’ll slip up.

“But it’s all about us now, and we’ve got to win every game for a chance of promotion.”

Clipstone, on the face of it, would seem to be a good game to get that run going – cemented to the bottom of the division, they have 24 losses from 25 games, and avoided defeat for the first time this season last week in a goalless draw at Staveley Miners Welfare.

However, Marshall has warned the Nottinghamshire side's recent change in manager could render them a surprise package now, while the adverse weather conditions have meant the Pikes’ home pitch has become heavy and meant the team have had difficulty effecting their ball-playing game.

He said: “The thaw will do the pitch some good, but it’s not ideal for it to have had the snow and ice sitting on it. We called the under-19s game off to protect it, and hopefully it’ll be okay for the game.

“Clipstone picked up their first point at the weekend. That’s brilliant for them, but we don’t want them getting any more this Saturday. One is enough!”

Ryan Blott will be available again after serving the final game of his suspension on Tuesday night, but Nick Thompson and Harry Andrews are now ruled out for the rest of the season.

George Eustance should also be in with a chance tomorrow, having made his debut in the defeat to Scarborough. The 22-year-old winger was signed from Harrogate Railway Athletic as a direct replacement for Russ Parker, who is moving away.

The last-eight defeat at the Flamingo Land Stadium came in front of a crowd of 1,082 – over three times the attendance of the 2011/12 final between York City and Middlesbrough at Bootham Crescent.

Eddy Birch headed the Pikes ahead on 33 minutes, before Danny Stimpson nodded home Michael Coulson’s corner just after half-time, and Max Wright capitalised on a poor clearance to fire in 10 minutes later.

The Seadogs return to Evo-Stik League north action tomorrow when they host fifth-placed Prescot Cables.

Meanwhile, the North Riding FA has appointed two additional independent directors to its board, taking the number up to 12.

Helena Bowman – a Middlesbrough supporter from Durham – has previously been head of the Middlesbrough FC Foundation, is a qualified teacher and has an MA in education.

Alan Darfi is a qualified solicitor who has advised both the FA and the Rugby Football League on legal matters. A Millwall fan, he sits on a number of grassroots sports discipline panels.