PICKERING Town manager Denny Ingram has said Saturday's FA Trophy match at Prescot Cables is another chance to boost morale and funds at the club.

Neither would go amiss at Mill Lane. The Pikes endured another frustrating Northern Premier League north/west division defeat at the weekend, going down 3-1 at Droylsden, while Ingram says it is "vital" the team bring in money.

Despite their lowly league standing - still bottom of the north/west table - Pickering continued on from last year's fine Trophy run, winning 3-1 at Stocksbridge Park Steels in the extra preliminary round.

This first qualifying round carries a prize pot of £2,250 for the winners and £750 for the losers. The previous round was worth £1,500.

"It's just another game of football for me," Ingram said.

"If we're being truthful, we're not going to win (the FA Trophy).

"It's about winning games of football to boost confidence and bring money into the club.

"It's vital for us to bring the money in. We have no big-money backer or a big-money chairman.

"He puts in a lot of work for the club and we can help by bringing money in."

The Pikes competed well at Droylsden on Saturday, with Flynn McNaughton's 47th-minute goal drawing them level at 1-1. But they were caught out by a counter-attack and Aaron Burns' finish before Domaine Rouse finished off what Ingram described as "probably the worst goal I have ever seen at any standard of football".

At Stocksbridge, Ryan Blott added a superb free kick to Matty Turnbull's 37th-minute goal and Sam Cable completed the scoring.

Ingram bemoaned his young side's inconsistency and "naivety" but remains optimistic, saying: "I'm sounding like a broken record but we're not far off."

Cable's loan from Frickley Athletic has been extended for another month.