WE'RE CHORLEY IN THE PICTURE!

ANDY PREECE says Chorley have come up with the perfect answers for how to beat the play-off blues.

- Matt Badcock

The Magpies were all set to take their place in last season's National League North top seven only for a remarkable turnaround by Gloucester City to win their final-day showdown with the last kick of the game.

It meant the Tigers were able to leapfrog Preece's side and consign them to a summer of what ifs.

Departures of top scorer Connor Hall to Solihull Moors and Jon Ustabasi, who joined AFC Fylde, saw 36 goals walk out of the door too.

But Preece's side have found the perfect response, with Tuesday night's 4-1 win at Banbury United moving them up to third.

"We are a team that people expect to be in and around the play-offs but that only tells half the story," Preece told The NLP.

"Financially, we are down in the bottom half. We punch above our weight year-in, year out and you always think, 'When is it going to be that year it might go wrong?" "But, for us, it's going really well. To be third at this stage -although it's early and really tight we're delighted. Credit to the players. They've been fantastic.

Sacrifices