Two more victories keep New Mills' play-off dream alive

After six games unbeaten Mills sit seventh, seven points short of the play-offs, beating Ellesmere with strikes from Joel Ankers (2), Pa Jenkins and Teddy Osipitan after a defender had turned home an Elliott Cooke cross on Saturday.

Joint boss Dave Birch admitted the Millers cannot afford to lose any of their last three games, starting at home to Cammell Laird on Saturday but is delighted in how his players are ending the campaign.

“We have played three sides above us in the last fortnight and beaten them all quite convincingly,” he said.

“It's been a frustrating season with injuries, suspensions and people not being available, but I always knew when we got everyone back we'd have a good side.

“I truly believe we are as good as anyone in the league. But the early season has really damaged us and that's probably going to hold us back at the end of the season.

“I have just told the lads let's win as many games as we can between now and the end of the season.

“We've just won three or four massive games on the bounce. We've beaten all the teams around us.

“We are now replying on other teams to slip up but we are still mathematically in with a sniff which is all we can ask for.

“We have three games left and if we lose one of them then that's it. We have to win them all. But we have been in that situation for the last four games and won them all against teams that are supposedly better than us.”

On the last two results, he added: “Tuesday was a good result in a tough game against a side that were six points ahead of us at kick-off – and we should have probably won it by more.

“On the down side, we had to bring Kyle Hawley off with a twisted ankle. It's very swollen at the moment so we will have to see how it settles down and take it from there.

“We were also the better side on Saturday when we went to Cheadle Town, who are in the play-offs and have spent a lot of money, and won that one too.

“It was a scrappy game on a difficult pitch.”