DAN MOORE insists he will not allow his Buckley Town players to down tools in their remaining five league games.

After their promotion to the division last term, the Bucks are now sat comfortably in mid-table following a solid campaign to date.

But Moore has warned his players against complacency in the home straight as he seeks to secure a top half finish.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s home derby with second-placed Flint Town United, he said: “It’s been a good season for us and the last thing we want at this stage is for it to peter out.

“The players probably realise that we’re not going to get dragged into a relegation battle at this stage, but we won’t be taking our foot off the pedal at this stage.

“It would be a massive shame if we were just to slip down the table and just ease off because we want to keep te club progressing.

“The challenge now is to win as many of the games we’ve got left as possible and push ourselves as high as possible in the table.

“We’re already building for next season and now we want to finish on a high.

“Saturday’s another chance to test ourselves against one of the best teams in the league. Porthmadog are the only top five side we’ve beaten this year, so that’s a record we’d like to improve on too. Flint are still pushing for a top-two finish, but we’ve got our own agenda and hopefully produce a big performance.”

Flint boss Niall McGuinness says his side will not be gung-ho in their bid to keep their slim title hopes alive.

The Silkmen must win at The Globe tomorrow to remain in the hunt and prevent leaders Airbus from securing top spot.

A fine defensive record has provided a platform for success this term and McGuinness says his side’s playing style will not change drastically against their county rivals.

He said: “With the lead Airbus have over us, I think most people would say the title race is done now.

“But we’ll keep fighting whatever happens, because a top-two finish would still be a great achievement and a massive improvement on last season.

“We’ve kept four back to back clean sheets now and have been winning a lot of games by the odd goal. The system we use has been effective and I don’t see us changing our approach massively this weekend.

“Depending on how the game goes we might be more expansive if we need a goal, but Buckley are a very decent side, so we won’t leave ourselves too exposed.”

Both sides head into the clash with near full-strength squads, though Flint’s Myles Hart remains sidelined with a long-term injury.

Gresford Athletic’s lack of firepower has limited their progress this season, says manager Steve Halliwell.

The Colliers are currently sixth in the table but could be leapfrogged in the run-in by several of their rivals, who have all played fewer games.

Successive top-three finishes had established the Clappers Lane side as serous contenders in the division, but Halliwell feels that nine draws this season have stymied their progress.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s trip to Porthmadog, he said: “It’s frustrating. In some games I feel like we’ve looked well-organised and pretty solid defensively, but we’ve struggled to create much at the other end.

“In other games we’ve been on top, found ourselves in good positions, but just haven’t managed to kill teams off.

“We’ve got the quality and the ability to hurt teams but we haven’t done that enough this season.

“We need to finish on a bit of a high in these next three games otherwise we could find ourselves slipping down the table quickly.

“Porthmadog away is never easy. They’ve got one of the best set-ups in the league there and are really well run. We’re a bit stretched in terms of numbers, but we’re going there for three points.”

Injured forwards Owen Roberts and Jake Eyre both miss out, while midfielder Josh Griffiths is suspended.

Basement side Holyhead Hotspur host Denbigh on Friday night as Bangor City head to Prestatyn.

Conwy Borough entertain Llanrhaeadr on Saturday, while Rhyl head to Guilsfield, and Ruthin host Penrhyncoch.