Workington Reds cannot afford to let their standards slip when struggling Ossett United come to Borough Park tomorrow (3pm kick-off), warned manager Danny Grainger.

Reds and this weekend’s opponents find themselves in the middle of very different campaigns, with the West Cumbrians challenging for the NPL North West Divison title while 18th-placed Ossett are locked in a fierce battle for survival at the wrong end of the table.

But that will not change Grainger’s approach and he will be looking for his team to continue to set the standards they have so far this campaign in the hope that the result will take care of itself.

“We know we are going to have to be at our best because Ossett are a good team going forward and they score a lot of goals,” he said.

“They’ve got a good target man in Tom Greaves and they’ve got players who can get around him and benefit from that.

“If we’re on it I’m not worried about it so it’s just a case of making sure we’re in tip-top shape.”

Greaves has 15 goals so far this league campaign – one more than Reds’ top scorer Scott Allison – for a team who, despite their struggles, have scored the most in the bottom half of the division with 34 goals.

The Reds boss is confident that his team are capable of extending their unbeaten run and is happy with the way they have reacted to a setback over the last fortnight following their defeat at promotion rivals Ramsbottom.

“I think after the Ramsbottom game they were a little bit nervous which is understandable after you’ve lost a big game like that,” he said.

“That’s part and parcel of football, then you just have to make sure you bounce back which we did and now they are ready for another big game at home.

“As I said when I first came in, the home form is vital and I think we’ve shown that this year with how far it has taken us.”

A number of Reds players who have been carrying knocks were due to be assessed in training last night but Grainger hopes to have a virtually fully-fit squad for the weekend.