Non League: Latest from Stocksbridge Park Steels, Sheffield FC, Frickley Athletic and Shaw Lane

“We’ve got teams to play that are around us over the next few weeks so its important we pick up as many points as we can” said manager Chris Hilton. “We’ve got Bedworth on Saturday who are just a point behind us with a game in hand, then Spalding away, which is never a easy place to go.

“We then face three games over Christmas: leaders Basford at home, Frickley away on Boxing day and a trip to Stamford at the end of December, all teams that are in the promotion mix. It’s a huge period for us.

“We’ll go out on Saturday and aim to get the three-points which would mean Bedworth couldn’t go above us with game in hand.

“Our home form is picking up, we taken 14pts from the last six games but as a unit we’re still conceding too many goals which is an area we need to improve. We’re third in the table, so Ill take.”

“We’ve yet captured the form of last season. Injuries have not helped and we’ve now lost Alex Wiles for about eight weeks and Jack Poulton will miss Saturday with injury.”

Reflecting on the 2-2 draw at Newcastle Town Hilton felt it was two points dropped.

“We’re on top in the first half and got our noses in front with a great goal” said the Steels boss. They’ve equalised with the their first shot but we got ourselves back in front. They started well in the second half got an early goal back and had us on the back foot. But we regained our composure, had good chances again, but just couldn’t find the winner we deserved.”

Steels are closing in on a couple of transfer targets although any deal is unlikely to be completed before Saturday.

Sheffield FC face a tough looking trip fourth-placed Cleethorpes Town who are unbeaten in seven at home.

Club boss Mark Shaw will be hoping his side will rise to the challenge as they aim for a first away league victory of the season.

“Of course its going to be tough; they are up there at the top end of the table and going really well” said Shaw.

“We’ve got to lift ourselves after last weekend’s home defeat that’s left us in a relegation battle.

“We’ve got to start changing the way we play but also we have to work much harder at defending and keeping clean sheets.

“We haven’t hit the ground running yet in terms of going on a run but I have full confidence in the players that they’ll soon turn the corner.”

Shaw said his side didn’t do enough in the right areas in the defeat against Gresley in the 2-0 defeat last weekend.

“I thought we started the game well enough. We controlled the game for much of the time but in the important areas we wasn’t good enough in either boxes in our defending and attacking which was massively disappointing.”

Cleethorpes league form as been patchy of late with just one win and three draws in the last six.

Play-off chasing Frickley Athletic go to Peterborough Sports looking to extend their good run of form to just one defeat in nine in all competitions

Sports are going through a terrible run of form having lost seven of the last eight league outings which has seen them slip to 18th and just three points outings the relegation zone.

Shaw Lane face a big test this weekend when they visit table topping Altrincham, where a win for the Ducks would see them go level on points with the leaders.