BACUP and Rossendale Borough manager Brent Peters believes his side are being wrongly written off in the battle for safety in the North West Counties Premier Division.

Boro are currently second from bottom, but the manager says the critics are not looking at the whole picture.

MORE TOP STORIES:

“People have a bad habit of looking at league tables without taking in the information they provide,” he said.

“They’ll see us second from bottom but they won’t see we have games in hand or the points difference between us and those near us in the table.

“The table doesn’t lie, but it isn’t a level playing field because teams have played more games than us.”

Boro saw eight games postponed in six weeks over the winter, decimating their schedule but Peters is used to the disruption after almost two decades with the club.

“That’s the nature of the beast at Bacup,” he said. “It happens every year.

“We’re used to playing catch-up because we have one of the highest grounds in the country and we’re up in the Pennine hills so when the bad weather comes we can do nothing about it.

“All we can do is try and influence football matches.”

Bacup have 11 league games left to secure safety while their rivals have as little as six, but the hectic fixture list is part and parcel of the job for Peters.

“If we have several games to play in a short space of time at the end of the season we just have to get on with it,” he said.

“As a manager I have to make sure I have enough players to fulfil our fixtures because having so many in such a short space of time means it is inevitable that you can’t have continuity in your team - you are forced to make changes.

“In non-league football you can have one team out for one week and a completely different one the week after. That’s just the way it is.

“It does have a downside, but it isn’t unexpected for us - I’ve been at Bacup for almost 20 years and it has been the same year after year.”

Borough are at home to mid-table Runcorn Town tomorrow.

Another side battling the drop are Barnoldswick Town, who are in the relegation zone on goal difference, and Stewart Airdrie’s side are also at home with leaders Runcorn Linnets visiting.

In form Colne, now up to sixth, will be looking to make it eight wins in a row in the league when they visit 1874 Northwich while Nelson host title-chasing Glossop North End.

In the First Division, play-off chasing AFC Darwen, in ninth, are at home to league leaders Cammell Laird 1907.