Alsager Town 2 Glossop North End 1

GREG Clowes is demanding his side reaches 70 points for the season.

The Alsager Town boss has called on his players to be ruthless in their pursuit of victories during the final furlong of the current campaign.

They have 47 points from 29 games. Clowes wants a further 23 from the last 13. It is a big ask, but the boss said his team are more than capable.

And their third win in three games on Saturday, against Glossop, has shown they can thrive under pressure.

Clowes said: 'I wouldn't bother saying I want 70 points if I didn't think we could do it. But we are capable and it is up to us.

'We have got ourselves in a nice position now. There are just 11 points between fourth and 13th position. There are 13 games left, and we have to play six of the teams around us.

'I don't think 23 points from 39 is beyond us. Since Christmas we have been the best team on the pitch in every league game bar one. Now we are starting to turn those performances into wins.'

Clowes felt that Alsager's 1-0 win over Curzon Ashton last Tuesday, which came courtesy of an Alan Fraser goal, was 'a bit lucky'.

Although Saturday's success was more than deserved, a 90th minute winner always comes aided by Lady Luck. Town dominated the contest from start to finish, but could not add to man-of-the-match Paul Ireland's 22nd minute opener, set up by Mark Grice.

Grice missed several gilt-edged chances himself to put the game beyond doubt, and when Glossop's Rick Whelan drilled home a leveller on 88 minutes, it seemed they would be made to pay.

But defender Dean Stokes showed all the composure his teammates hadn't when he turned in Murray McCulloch's cross in the dying seconds.

Clowes said: 'To be fair, it would have been daylight robbery if they had got something out of the game. If it had been a boxing match it would have been stopped.

'But I did feel deflated when they equalised. Mark Grice missed five easy chances, that he or anybody else would have stuck away. But Dean got us off the hook at the end, although it was no more than we deserved.'

Alsager face a trip to Bacup Borough on Saturday, who lie one place behind them in Division One and beat them 1-0 at the start of February.

Clowes added: 'We are up for it. We did well in the last game, but their keeper David Felgate played really well. We could play a lot worse than that and win, so I am confident.'