BACUP and Rossendale Borough manager Brent Peters remains positive about his side’s chances of beating the drop in the North West Counties Premier Division ahead of their trip to Winsford United tonight.

Peters’ side are seven points from safety, but have as many as five matches in hand on sides above them after a 4-2 defeat at Congleton on Saturday ended a promising three-game unbeaten run.

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But the manager still believes there is enough quality in his squad to see them safe.

“The result was disappointing, but the performance wasn’t so we have to keep positive,” said Peters. “The camp is buoyant and we have some excellent players here.

“There is confidence in the team. We have a totally different side to the one which started the season. We’ve made a lot of changes - we started the campaign with a relatively young squad but that was dictated by finances, as it is at almost every level.

“Since the turn of the year we’ve had a lot of positives so I look at it like that. We still have 12 games left to play - which is over a quarter of the season - and a lot of games in hand on people.

“You always get setbacks in football whether you are at the top or the bottom and unfortunately we didn’t get the breaks on Saturday. Hopefully those breaks will go our way tonight.”

After going six months without a league win, Bacup went unbeaten in February and Peters says his team are in a much better position to retain their status, but time may yet be their biggest enemy in the fight for survival.

The manager said: “I don’t want to look at the negatives; I want to take the positives.

“We are under no illusions that this week is going to be difficult for us - we’ve already dropped three points - but if we can take six points from the next two matches then that is a good week for us. Even four points would be a good return considering two of the three games are away.

“We are where we are because we have had to utilise young lads who are probably playing above their station. With any club, you need a strong spine to your team from the goalkeeper through central defence, central midfield and the strikers.

“We didn’t have that at the start of the season. We’re gradually getting there now, but it’s whether we’ve got enough time and enough games left to secure our place in this division next year. I believe we have, but only time will tell.”

Elsewhere Steve Cunningham’s in-form Colne host Silsden while in division one AFC Darwen travel to Holker Old Boys hoping to increase their chances of a play-off place.