STEVE WATSON is confident that his side can step up to the plate in a pivotal game once again when his York City travel to King's Lynn in Saturday's top of the table clash.

The Vanarama National League North's runaway top two meet at The Walks with King's Lynn holding just a one-point lead over York, though the former do have two matches in hand.

The fixture has been marked out for some weeks as being a crucial one in the race for promotion to the National League, even with more than three months of the season still to play.

City manager Watson will be hoping that his side can replicate some stand-out performances from the campaign against those challenging them near the top, one of which came in a 3-0 home win over King's Lynn back in September.

"It's one of the best defences in the league, if not the country at the moment against one of the best forward-thinking sides," enthused Watson.

"We're confident and the lads have got a buzz about them.

"I'm sitting here and in the games where we've faced teams and we've needed to produce, like King's Lynn at home, like Chester away, like Brackley, like Spenny (Spennymoor), like Stockport in the FA Cup, we've stood up.

"We've done the job when its been asked of us in, what we consider, to be the really big games.

"And, it doesn't get much bigger than this at this moment.

"If we can get three points on Saturday, all of a sudden the picture changes.

"But, it's still January, there's a lot of football to be played. Nobody will win the league on Saturday.

"Two games later we're going to have to face a very good Chester side again.

"There's no respite and it'll be a really interesting few weeks ahead.

"But, we're not looking past Saturday. We'll be going there full of confidence and trying to get three points.

"Of course it'd be nice to go top again.

"It is a big game, a really big game.

"Time like this are exciting and this is probably one of those games that you'd love to play in."

York hit a sticky patch of form over late November and December, taking just two wins from 10 games in all competitions and conceding their position at the summit of the table in the process.

Since the turn of the year though, City have recorded three straight wins and their return to winning ways looks to have come at a timely moment.

“We’ll be more back on track if we take three points on Saturday,” said Watson when asked if his side were now back on track.

“I think that we’ve put in some good solid performances this year. The Southport away game was typical of how we’ve been playing away from home this season.

“And, the last two home games, although we didn’t run away with it goals-wise, I thought that it was a lot more like us.

“But, I think that we’re coming into form at a good time.

“We hit a bit of a flat spell before Christmas, but we’re coming through that now.

“The lads are in a good place and there’s a lot of belief back in the team at the moment.

“We’ve got a settled team again, which is what it was like earlier in the season.

“Hopefully, we’ll have a fully fit squad to choose from this week.

“And we go down there full of confidence and fancying our chances.”

King’s Lynn have lost just twice in 24 league games this term and have scored 10 more goals than any other side.

Further to those stats, is the fact that King’s Lynn haven’t lost a home league game since October 2018.

In spite of that, York’s mindset isn’t going to be of one that is willing to settle for a draw on their travels.

“The fact is that we’re playing the best side in the league at the moment,” Watson admitted.

“The facts prove that and the run that they’re on, the goals that they’ve scored and their home record.

“It proves that we’re playing the best team in the league at the moment.

“We have to go down there with the mindset of taking all three points, we’re not going down there trying to pick something up or to hang on. We need to go down there with the mindset to win.”