FLINT TOWN UNITED boss Niall McGuinness knows what he wants for an anniversary present - three points at Gresford Athletic.

McGuinness celebrated two years in charge of the Silkmen on Wednesday, and he hopes to mark the occasion with a crucial away triumph.

“It has flown by,” said McGuinness of his time as Flint boss. “I’ve enjoyed every minute and we’ve made good progress.

“Three points at Gresford would be lovely and they are a must if we want to stay in the position we are in and keep the pressure on teams around us.”

McGuinness spent Wednesday night watching Gresford’s 1-1 draw at Buckley, the Flint boss expecting a tough time at Clappers Lane.

“It was a worthwhile trip,” said McGuinness. “It was good to look at Gresford’s shape, see their strengths and see where we can get at them.

“Gresford are a strong outfit with good resources and good quality. You look at their squad and they are one of the better outfits in the league, although results haven’t shown that so far.

“We need to be ready to go and get three points. Gresford played on a heavy pitch on Wednesday, but we need to expect them to be at the top of their game and we will need to be at our best to combat that.

Gresford welcome high-flying Flint to Clappers Lane on the back of two morale-boosting results.

Steve Halliwell’s men have picked up back-to-back 1-1 draws on the road at Bangor City and Buckley Town in the last six days, which has helped them edge further away from the relegation zone.

“I’ve been lifted by our performances over the last week,” said Halliwell. “We’ve come away from Bangor and Buckley undefeated and the target is to try and make that three.”

Flint are challenging at the other end of the table, but Halliwell isn’t fazed by the fixture.

“It’s just 11 lads playing against another 11 lads,” continued Halliwell. “They are not immortal.

“Niall has done, and is still doing, a fantastic job at Flint, but we are looking forward to getting into them.

“We always have good games against them and we know that we can cause teams problems.”

Halliwell also knows Gresford can’t afford to be caught napping when the first whistle is blown.

Flint have a habit of putting games to bed early, Halliwell adding: “We know we’ve got to stay especially tight defensively in the first half an hour.”

Jordan MacCarter is rated 50/50 for the clash after pulling up injured at Buckley on Wednesday, but Gresford will be boosted by the return of Aaron Edwards, Owen Roberts and Alex Buxton.

Flint make the trip to Wrexham without top scorer Mark Cadwallader, while Callum Bratley and Dominic McHugh are battling to recover from knee injuries in time to feature.

Prestatyn, seven points ahead of second placed Flint, make their way to Penrhyncoch.