PRIDE is what Pickering Town boss Tony Hackworth felt after his side thumped a nail into the coffin of Tadcaster Albion’s Northern Counties East League premier division title bid - but the Mill Lane chief may need to reorganise ahead of another tough test on Saturday.

The Pikes produced one of their best displays of the season to hold the Brewers to a 1-1 draw, a result which left their opponents seven points adrift of leaders Shaw Lane Aquaforce. They now travel to fifth-placed Staveley Miners Welfare looking for a repeat.

Hackworth will be without skipper Wayne Aziz, who serves a one-game ban following a red card against Shaw Lane, and must continue without full-backs Chris Batchelor and Frank Belt. The former is out for the season with a groin injury, while Belt has gone to America to coach.

Striker Joe Danby and Joel Ramm will deputise and the Pickering chief has also put in seven days’ notice of approach for Selby Town skipper Matty Turnbull. Hackworth believes his patched-up outfit can still get a result at Staveley after hailing their performance in the derby battle with Tadcaster.

He said: “They came to us on a bad run but they have been top of the league all season “We knew it was going to be tough. But we could have won by five or six. It was that comfortable. We could have been three up at half-time - we missed a couple of one-on-ones.

“They got back into the game with a scrappy goal and, at the end, they were happy with a point.

“I thought they would have had more than they did. We were pretty comfortable. We worked extremely hard. We have had a couple of tough fixtures and I am proud of the lads.”

Pickering could have been in front on five minutes when Billy Logan shot wide with just keeper Peter Lawrie to beat. Lively on the break, Logan had two more efforts stopped superbly by Lawrie.

The deadlock was broken nine minutes into the second half. Logan turned and smacked the ball from 25 yards into the bottom corner, giving Lawrie no chance, and he almost doubled his tally when shooting narrowly wide from 20 yards after latching on to a clearance.

The Pikes were well on top but Tadcaster levelled with a fortunate goal - Tom Claisse’s effort from 20 yards taking a wicked deflection and wrong-footing keeper Toby Wells.

Pickering: Wells, Ramm, Danby, Patterson, Tilsley, Aziz, Cooper, Taylor, Logan, Simpson (Hawkes 76), Calvert. Subs not used Hutchinson, Gibb, Hackworth.

Earlier in the week, Shaw Lane left Mill Lane with a 3-1 win. Chris White scored in the first minute but Sam Calvert equalised after seven minutes when he capitalised on a goalkeeping error from Ben Gathercole.

Matt Thornhill restored Shaw Lane’s lead midway through the first half and Lee Morris made the game safe two minutes from time. Aziz was dismissed seven minutes into the second half when committing a foul as the last man.

Pickering: Wells, Belt, Danby, Patterson, Tilsley, Aziz, Cooper (Stewart 81), Taylor, Logan, Ramm (Simpson 75), Calvert. Sub not used: Hutchinson.

Having endured tough tests against promotion-chasing outfits in their last two games, Hackworth does not expect Staveley to be any easier.

But he believes his team are more motivated for the bigger occasions.

He explained: “It is the big teams that I prefer to play the most. For whatever reason, we seem to raise our game.

“Staveley will be another tough game. A month back they went on a great run. We go there with confidence that we can put in another performance.”

Turnbull is unlikely to be a Pickering player in time for that with the club yet to open negotiations, but Hackworth said of the centre-half: “He’s a player I do like. I have kept tabs on him.

“He had a bad injury last season but he has gone there and done very well.

“Chris Batchelor is out for the season and Frank Belt has gone to America.

“Joe Danby has done extremely well at left-back and, although he is a forward, he has played in that position before.

“I prefer to have a left-footed player in there. I put him in against Shaw Lane and Tadcaster and he was man of the match in both games. It might be a new position for him.”