NOT many observers outside of this corner of Cheshire would expect to see Witton Albion riding so high in the league table.

However, it comes as no surprise to in-form forward Scott Bakkor – and he is confident they can stay in the upper reaches.

Three wins from their first five games puts them third in the embryonic Pitching In Northern Premier League Premier Division table, three points behind early leaders Warrington Town.

It represents an excellent recovery from losing their opening game to Whitby Town and being dumped out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle by lower-ranked Whitley Bay – so what is the secret to their turnaround?

“There wasn’t too much panic. We were calm and we knew it would come together,” said Bakkor, who scored the winner against previously-unbeaten Scarborough Athletic at Wincham Park on Saturday.

“We had a bit of a bad start losing the first two games, but I think we’re gelling together now and it’s obviously showing on the pitch.

“Looking at the squad Macca (manager Carl Macauley) has got together, I’m not surprised at all.

“The kind of performance on Saturday showed what we can really do and there’s more of that to come.

“We want to make a statement that we want to be at this end of the table for the season, not just a few weeks.”

Bakkor, back at the club for his second spell after re-joining from Stalybridge Celtic in the summer, has been one of the stars so far with four goals to his name already.

While his form is grabbing the headlines, the 25-year-old is keen to pay tribute to those around him.

“It helps playing alongside Will Jones. He’s a great guy to play next to,” he said.

“He’s a big lad and does a lot of the hard work and I’m feeding off the scraps at the moment. Let’s just hope it continues.

“The squad we’ve got is really strong and it’s good to have that healthy competition.

“If players aren’t playing there’s no hard feelings. We all support each other.”

Albion’s Cheshire Senior Cup clash with Crewe Alexandra that was due last night, Wednesday, and a league fixture at Hyde United next Tuesday got postponed this week due to Covid-19 reasons.

Witton visit Gainsborough Trinity on Saturday, though, kick off 3pm.