DANNY Johnson hopes for a victorious farewell as he takes his Radcliffe Borough side to Farsley on Saturday.

Boro finish their Evo-Stik First Division North campaign this weekend and Johnson will manage them for the final time having said he will step down at the end of the season.

Despite a positive finish, which saw Boro secure their league status with weeks to spare, Johnson has stood by that decision as big changes are underway at the Belvoir Stadium, with Bernard Manning Jnr having already welcomed in Paul Hilton to replace him as chairman.

Last Saturday's 1-0 home win against Ossett Albion took them to 40 points, 18 of which have come since the start of March.

And in their last home game against Warrington on Tuesday night, they led through Jody Banim's 24th-minute opener, before the champions struck three times in the last 20 minutes to win 3-1.

“I was disappointed to lose because we took a 1-0 lead and were worthy of it,” said Johnson.

“Then we conceded three poor goals and it took me back to the poor start we had, when we were still getting things together.

“But over the last 10-12 games it's come together. There's been a real team spirit and we've been close knit.

“The performances have been excellent and we've had some good results.

“It's probably a positive thing that we were disappointed to lose to the champions. It shows how far we've come.

“Overall I'm really pleased with how the lads have done of late and I hope we can make sure it's a winning end at Farsley.”

Boro go into the game 17th in the table and cannot finish any higher, but just two points separate themselves and Scarborough Athletic in 20th.

They sandwich Droylsden and Ossett Town, who play each other on the final day, while Scarborough visit play-off bound Burscough.

But if Boro can hang on to 17th place, it would be their best league finish since 2012/13.

“We beat Farsley 3-1 at home last month and I have belief in the lads that they can do it again,” Johnson added.

“There was a warming moment on Tuesday night when four or five supporters came over and shook my hand.

“They thanked me for my time at the club and said it's been the best season they've had for six years.

“My standards are a bit higher. My target was more than 40 points, but only because that's the way I am. If everyone knew what my targets were they'd think I need my head checking!

“But we haven't been far off. There have been 13 games in which we lost by a one-goal margin and Warrington's manager said he couldn't believe where we were in the table.

“We've been competitive, we just needed a bit more quality. We've had young players who have been dedicated and put a shift in, week in and week out.

"With a low or no budget, you can't expect any more than that. They've given everything for the cause.”