Workington Reds must be on the front foot against Hyde United if they are to pick up three vital points today, says assistant manager Steven Rudd.

Performances have picked up since the start of the year, with Reds winning four of their last seven games to edge towards safety in the Evo-Stik Premier League.

Victory against Hyde United this afternoon (3pm kick-off) could take them level with third-bottom Mickleover Sports, and Rudd and boss Lee Andrews will be telling their players to take the game to their visitors after Reds went on to win the last four games they took the lead in.

He said: “The lads have got to be confident and take the game to teams.

“Taking the lead is massive in the game because it gives our lads a boost.

“It’s getting to that point of the season when every team is under pressure and it’s about who deals with that best.

“It’s a long trip up here for teams and we’re used to our pitch and know how to play on it.

“When you look at our squad, 90 per cent of them were there when we were at the top of the league, so it’s using that same experience to our advantage at the bottom of the table.”

Despite Hyde being safe in mid-table, Rudd expects them to play with freedom and stressed they must not be taken lightly as it nears make or break time in Workington’s season.

“With the pressure off, it might let their lads knock it about more and they will still be up for it and playing for contracts for next season," he said.

“We will have to be at it to win and it’s important we get some points on the board soon.”

Reds fell to a frustrating defeat at home to league leaders Warrington Town on Tuesday night despite an encouraging display, and Rudd and Andrews have stressed to the players that matching those standards over the remaining 12 games should see them achieve their goal.

“After the game the lads were flat, they were really down about that game,” Rudd said.

“We just spoke to them and said if performances are like that over the rest of the season, we’ll pick up more points than we drop.

“Warrington are top of the league and we had the chance to put ourselves up against them and see how good we are.

“For most of that game, I don’t think a neutral fan in the ground would have been able to tell you which side was at the top and which was near the bottom.

“The players have got to take belief from that performance.

“We’re still positive we’ll stay up and the lads believe we can do it.”