GARY Martindale has instructed Witton’s players to stay focused and not to worry about a schedule that sees them play four games in seven days.

That run starts with a visit from Chasetown tomorrow.

A home date against Carlton follows on Tuesday before Spalding travel to Northwich 48 hours later.

A trip to Gresley next Saturday completes a testing week.

“Let me and the gaffer worry about that,” said Albion’s assistant manager.

“We’ll select our strongest possible side to win on Saturday, then at ten to five start to think about how we’ll approach the next game.

“In an ideal world, you’d have a big squad to rotate lads but it’s not a luxury we enjoy.

“Fortunately for us, we’ve got one or two players coming back from injury and that will help us – the timing of that has been kind.

“But, let’s be honest, first and foremost beating Chasetown is all that really matters.”

Witton start a meeting with the Scholars buoyed by winning three successive matches since stumbling at home to Rugby a fortnight ago.

It’s a sequence that has taken them to within three points of leaders Shaw Lane, who host Bedworth, with a game in hand.

A head-to-head between the promotion rivals looms on Tuesday week.

Not that the minds of Albion players will be allowed to wander, particularly as three of their four league defeats this season have been against sides they were expected to beat.

Chasetown, hammered 4-1 by Witton in the return back in November, head to Wincham Park in rotten form after losing five of their past seven matches.

It leaves them sat 16th in the table.

Martindale said: “That makes me nervous in some ways.

“They have nothing to play for – they’re not going to get relegated and they’ve no chance of making the play-offs – so they can turn up here and perform with zero pressure.

“Our lads need to understand that can make opponents dangerous; it’s rare you get a chance to play with total freedom.

“We have enough quality to beat them, but there have been occasions this season when we’ve let standards slip in games we’ve been tipped to win comfortably.

“The experience of losing to Rugby [a fortnight ago] reminded us of that.”