Consistency and composure will be key as Workington Reds look to keep up their NPL North West Division title challenge, insists captain Conor Tinnion.

Reds are set to entertain 18th-placed NPL North West Division side Ossett United twice in four days, hosting them in league action on Saturday (3pm kick-off) before welcoming them back to Borough Park on Tuesday night in the Integro League Cup's third round.

They will hope to close the gap to league leaders Ramsbottom United with a win in the first of those clashes after Marine and Pontefract Collieries kept the heat on in the promotion race on Tuesday night, winning 5-2 at home to Widnes and 3-0 against Prescot Cables respectively.

But whatever the result this weekend, Tinnion believes it will be the side that consistently picks up points and puts any setbacks behind them quickly that will eventually have the best chance of going up automatically – and he hopes that will be Workington after a remarkable performance so far this campaign.

"We had a tough run of games last month and if we're honest with ourselves we could have been better in it," he said.

"At Ramsbottom we didn't do ourselves justice but it's a long season, there are plenty of games to go and you just have to make sure you bounce back from any bad results.

"It's a testament to the teams around us that they keep on winning and churning out results.

"When you look at that group of teams that have been at the top all season, no-one has dropped off.

"We just need to keep ourselves there and know that we're going to drop points – although I'd love it if we didn't – but they are all going to too.

"It will come down to who bounces back when they do drop points; I don't think we need to get carried away if we do.

"It is going to go right down to the wire."

Crucial to keeping the points coming will be winning at home, which is something Reds have found relatively comfortable this season.

Their unbeaten home league record of nine wins and three draws from 12 games has helped them to second in the table, two points off the league leaders, and Tinnion hopes Borough Park can continue to be a fortress for his team.

He added: "We've been very strong at home and, bar maybe the Trafford game, we've generally performed.

"Teams don't like coming to us, which gives us a great base and that's how we can go and pick up a point on the road and not see that as a disaster.

"That home record has given us the foundation this season and it's one we need to keep going because there's no avoiding it, we want to go up and of course we want to win the league."