RADCLIFFE Borough boss Danny Johnson is looking up not down the table after his side warmed up for the festive fixtures with a welcome 3-1 win at Bamber Bridge.

Seasoned striker Steve Foster weighed in with a second-half brace to add to Sam Fitzgerald’s 30th-minute opener before the home side pulled a goal back through Stuart Vasey six minutes from time.

Boro’s fifth win of the Evo-Stik First Division North campaign and first since a 2-1 victory at home to Scarborough Athletic on October 17 moved them up one place to 19th.

It also opened up a six-point cushion over second-bottom Harrogate Railway Athletic in the final relegation place.

But Johnson insists fears of a drop down to the North West Counties League has never entered his thinking since taking over the job in February.

“When I pick up the paper and read relegation this and relegation that it is disappointing as I am a positive person and just don’t think like that,” he said.

“I don’t let my players think like that either because I know the talent that is in this group.

“We had a really tough start to the campaign when we picked up a lot of injuries and seemed to have a run of games against teams in the top six.

“But that is behind us now.

“I strongly believe that with the games we have left, and barring any injuries to what is a small group of players, that we will comfortably finish mid-table.”

Johnson has never aired from his view, despite the club’s tough run of results and injuries, and he has always maintained the points would come once they started to play teams in and around them.

He believes Boro’s return to winning ways ahead of the Boxing Day visit of Droylsden, who are one place below Bamber Bridge in 15th, was built on a solid back four.

Captain Ric Smith, who came to the club as a central defender but was pushed forward into midfield out of necessity, dropped back to partner Danny Lafferty at the heart of the defence while Jamie Forbes moved across to left-back to cover for the suspended Aaron Walters.

“I felt the defence was key as we made sure we kept out Bamber Bridge in the first half,” he explained.

“Sam scored a great goal for us but we also missed quite a few chances and there were times when the home side put us under quite a bit of pressure.

“It was a real end to end game, but the satisfying thing for me was that, other than a Bamber Bridge effort that hit the woodwork they maybe had only one other clear chance to score.

“And when you have a striker in the team like Steve Foster, you are always going to get goals at the other end, and that’s how it panned out.”

After Droylsden's visit on Boxing Day, Boro travel to Cumbria to face Kendal Town, who are 11th in the table.