WAYNE Goodison has challenged 1874 Northwich’s players to extend an improved run of results and establish themselves in the Premier Division’s top 10 before Christmas.

They travel to Charnock Richard this afternoon after losing only one of their past seven matches in the North West Counties League and buoyed by thrashing AFC Blackpool in the Macron Cup last weekend.

It was exactly the response their co-manager had asked for following a disappointing FA Vase exit.

“We’ve got that result out of our system,” he said.

“That was important, and we got back to scoring goals while producing a high level of performance.

“We’ve talked a lot about how important it is to acknowledge that our season is very much alive and we have plenty still to play for.

“The league table is tight at the moment and a strong sequence over the next few weeks can have a big impact on our position.

“That’s where our focus needs to be.”

1874 start the weekend occupying 13th position.

Their hosts are eighth, three points better off.

A side managed jointly by Goodison and Paul Bowyer has been beaten in the league only by Ashton Athletic since mid-September and appear to have put behind them a slow start to the season that saw them fail to win any of their first half-dozen games.

However they will be wary of Charnock, a free-scoring opponent that triumphed 4-2 in last season’s corresponding fixture.

Goodison said: “There are perhaps some similarities with us in that their results have been unpredictable.

“They have been inconsistent but if they get it right then they have players in their side that can cause us problems.

“It was a strange game at their place [in April] in that it was one of the very few occasions that we felt aggrieved afterwards at the way the referee had handled it.

“We played well, but had nothing to show for it.”

Charnock lost 5-3 at leaders City of Liverpool in midweek, reducing a gap between the teams on the scoreboard by scoring twice in the final five minutes.

Meanwhile 1874 shared four goals with neighbours Knutsford in a friendly at Middlewich.

Goalkeeper Tom Scott, who has completed a transfer from Northwich Victoria, and new recruit Aaron Burgess both played a part.

“It was a good game and we got what we wanted from it,” reflected Goodison.