1874 NORTHWICH have a five-goal head-start when they host Congleton Town in a Macron Cup semi-final second leg on Saturday but they won’t ease up.

Co-manager Wayne Goodison has challenged his players to follow a 5-0 triumph in the first meeting by winning the next one too when the teams meet again at Barton Stadium.

“We’re really happy and have a great advantage,” he said.

“But we have to approach the job in the right way so as not to take any of the gloss off what we did last weekend.

"For us, this game will provide a measure of our mentality and if we want to be considered as a really good side then it's important to perform at the same standard as we have been doing.

"That doesn't mean I want us to win 5-0 again, but what matters is not taking our foot off the gas and allowing sloppiness to creep in."

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Improving 1874 have lost only one of their past eight matches in all competitions and remain in contention to win two trophies this season.

If they finish the job against the Bears then a date with North West Counties League Premier Division rivals City of Liverpool, who won 3-1 at Avro in the first leg of the other last-four tie, is a likely reward in next month's final.

They also visit Northwich Victoria in the semi-finals of the Mid-Cheshire District FA Senior Cup on Thursday.

READ > 1874 Northwich: remaining matches this season

However Goodison has warned he won’t allow attention to drift just yet.

“This is a big moment in the season for us,” he added.

“We can’t allow Congleton to get a foothold back in the tie because they have attacking players that can cause us problems if we’re not right.

"I've seen no indication in training this week to suspect our lads will be anything other than focused on what we need to do to."