THE reinforcements are arriving swiftly for Pickering Town boss Mitch Cook who has now challenged his side to summon a surge up the premier division table.

Chris Batchelor’s late goal at Athersley Recreation rescued a point for the Pikes in a 3-3 draw last time out, which followed a 7-0 midweek demolition of Maltby Main.

With Tony Hackworth completing half an hour of the Athersley game, Wayne Aziz playing the full 90 minutes and Robbie Hawkes about to serve the final match of his suspension when Cook’s men host Garforth Town on Saturday, the Mill Lane manager’s squad is starting to approach full strength for the first time this season.

That has got Cook urging his players to string a run of wins together that elevates them from their 12th place in the league.

“We were disappointed we didn’t win the game,” Cook said of the Athersley draw. “I thought we dominated and some of the lads were really disappointed with a few things that went on in the game.

“The resilience is coming back to the squad. The senior players are back involved and they are players that lead by example. Tony Hackworth got a good half an hour in and you would expect him to be fit for Garforth, while Wayne Aziz also got a full game under the belt. These players can organise when things aren’t going well.

“Robbie Hawkes serves the last game of his suspension against Garforth and we are nearly getting there. We have a run of games and we could soon have a full squad. Let’s see if we can get one of those runs that has us shooting up the table.”

On Garforth, Cook added: “It’s at home. It is a winnable game. We had a great win last time at home. Other teams, like Staveley and Barton, have gone on runs that have got them up the table and we are looking to do the same.”