COMPLACENCY will mean Pickering Town suffer a shock defeat against lowly Nostell Miners Welfare tomorrow, reckons manager Mitch Cook.
After a poor display in a 3-0 Northern Counties East League premier division defeat to Albion Sports last weekend, the Pikes appear to have the perfect pick-me-up at a Nostell outfit that are bottom of the table and have managed just five points all season.
But the Miners were competitive in a 3-2 defeat against a high-flying Basford United in their last game and Cook believes the attitudes of his players must be right if they are to avoid a potential banana skin.
He said: “We’ve got to pick ourselves up and see if we can get back to the form we had a couple of weeks ago.
“All you can do is go and play what’s in front of you. You look at their form and they put up a decent display against Basford last week.
“We lost last week and didn’t play very well. If we turn up thinking we will get a win we will get a shock.”
Cook is without former York City player Jimmy Beadle, who has returned to Scarborough Athletic following a two month spell with the Pikes where he scored eight goals in 13 games.
Having stressed he was unwilling to dip into the transfer market, the loss of the 25-year-old midfielder has now forced Cook’s hand.
“It doesn’t surprise me that he is gone but it is really disappointing,” Cook added. “We got his fitness back and got him scoring but I can understand his reasoning.
“It is a higher level and there is much more money on offer. He is young but he has got a lot of experience.
“There isn’t anything we can do about it and we will have to search around for someone.”
Cook will be able to welcome back son Nathan to the line-up after a suspension.
Tadcaster Albion will be on the hunt for goals when they travel to Lincoln Moorlands Railway in the premier division.
The Brewers entertained their opponents last week and doled out a 6-0 hammering and will be hoping to do the same again.
Harrogate Town travel to Leamington Town in Conference North and Harrogate Railway entertain Clitheroe in Evo-Stik League division one north.
Scarborough Athletic go to Bedworth United in the first division south and Knaresborough Town take a trip to Cleethorpes in NCEL division one.
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