WAYNE Goodison admitted that 1874 Northwich’s players will feel pressure ahead of tomorrow’s FA Vase semi-final at Thatcham Town but backed them to handle it.

He told the Guardian a two-legged cup tie brings with it a dynamic that teams at this level are not used to being involved in.

“Our mind-set must adjust to that,” he said.

“There is perhaps a bit more pressure on us because they’re at home and will be favourites to win on the day.

“If we return to Northwich with the outcome in the balance, then we’ll have done our job.

“While you can’t win a tie like this inside the first 90 minutes, it’s possible to lose it.”

However that will not make the visitors more defensive at Waterside Park, he stressed.

While conceding that there is more at stake Goodison, who manages the team jointly with Paul Bowyer, believes it would be unsettling if they approached the game differently to any other.

He added: “I think that’s important.

“We’ve prepared well, and the lads will have access to all the information they need about our opponents – that’s a given.

“However that’s how we get ready for every game.

“We’ve watched Thatcham a couple of times, and they remind me a lot of Pontefract – a side that most would agree is the strongest we’ve faced on this run so far.

“Their style of play is similar; they like to play football, and to get possession to their front men.

“That’s something we handled well [against Pontefract], and we’ll need to defend with the same diligence again this weekend.”

1874 have shown no signs of being distracted in the three weeks since they won a quarter-finals meeting with Leighton Town.

Their league position is better following back-to-back wins against Ashton Athletic and Squires Gate, although they have been frustrated by the postponement of four other Premier Division fixtures.

A 3-1 defeat on Tuesday against landlords Winsford United in the Macron Cup concluded their preparations.

Goodison said: “We didn’t expect any different in terms of the attitude we’ve seen from the players.

“There is still a serious job to do in the league, and we’ve made some progress by picking up those wins.

“I said to Paul [Bowyer] that we’d know inside quarter of an hour at Ashton how the run-up to the FA Vase semi-final would pan out, and the lads gave exactly the reaction we were after.

“They know we’re at a delicate stage in the season, but we’re relaxed going into it.

“Above all else, we want to reach full-time after the second leg at Wincham Park and be able to say ‘we’ve no regrets’. That’s it.”