Mariners still targeting title tilt

Marine manager Kevin Lynch is warning rival clubs his side haven't given up on their Evo-Stik Northern Premier League championship dreams.

Lynch, pictured, whose Mariners are third in the Evo-Stik NPL Premier Division ahead of Saturday's clash with fourth placed Witton Albion at the Arriva Stadium, insists they are still capable of bridging the 12 point gap to catch leaders North Ferriby United.

Marine's manager believes a clearer picture of division's leading contenders won't emerge until clubs have worked through the backlog of fixtures left by January's arctic weather.

Lynch said: "I don’t think we should be giving up on anything whilst it is still possible. There are a lot of points still to be had and there is no runaway leader this season. The group of lads here have the capabilities to build a run of form, they just have to believe it.

"There are a lot of teams in false positions and only when teams have caught up with their games in hand will we have a true reflection of the league. It is difficult to say right now how many teams are genuinely in contention for the play-offs. AFC Fylde are 11th in the league at the moment because of the amount of games they have in hand. But they are a team that should be there or there abouts."