JIMMY REID is telling his Pickering Town players to “make history” tonight.

The Pikes take on Marske United at Stokesley (7.30pm kick off) in the final of the North Riding Senior Cup.

The Mill Lane outfit are bidding to win the trophy for the first time in their 125-year history, having twice endured heartache in the final.

Manager Reid said: “It’s a massive game for the club.

“We’ve never won this cup and the players have got the chance to make history. They need to play this game as if it is their last.

“We’ve got a good footballing side, but we are going to need to dig deep – deeper than we ever have before.”

The Pikes go into the final on the back of a 2-0 defeat at relegation-threatened Winterton Rangers in the Northern Counties East League premier division on Saturday.

Victory would have moved Pickering above Tadcaster Albion into fourth place, a position they can achieve if they win their final game at Liversedge this weekend.

“Our players have had a great season,” said Reid.

“Sometimes, like on Saturday, you want to have a go at them, but you want to cuddle them at the same time.

“We have had a wobble every now and then, and Winterton wanted it more than us at the weekend. We picked up a couple of injuries, but the scoreline was about right.

“Tonight, I won’t have to tell them the importance of the game. We’ve got about 150 people going from Pickering and, fingers crossed, we will get the result.”

The injury toll from Saturday’s defeat could prove costly for the Pikes, however.

John Heads was forced off with a groin injury after half an hour, and Joe Danby is also struggling to be fit after limping off before half-time.

Jamie Patterson has a back problem, while Simon Sturdy has been suffering with a bug since Saturday night.

Tom Fenwick is missing through suspension.

Said Reid: “It’s ironic that we’ve not had an injury for about ten weeks and now we’ve got a load of them just before the biggest game of the season.

“If we can get two of Heads, Danby, Patterson and Sturdy patched up and out on the pitch we will be doing okay.

“We will just have to put out as strong a team as we can and fight for it from the first kick to the last.”

To reach the final, Reid’s men have beaten Thornaby (3-2), Grangetown Boys Club (2-0) and Guiseborough Town (1-1 then 4-2 on penalties).

Marske have ousted Fishburn Park (3-1), Middlesbrough (2-1) and York City (2-0) en route to tonight’s showpiece.

The sides have previously met at the climax of a knockout competition, the North Riding County Cup in 1991 when the Pikes won 3-2.

Reid was planning to speak to contacts in the game to get reports on Marske, admitting he knew little of the Northern League division one side.

“They will be a typical North East side. They will be in your face,” he said. “We have played six teams from the Northern League this season and beaten five of them, and I think they are all much the same.”