JOE Gibbons is looking forward to a positive end to the season after coming through perhaps his most testing period as Radcliffe Borough manager.

In recent weeks Boro had taken one point from four league games, in a run that also saw his side defeated in the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy final.

But the clouds lifted on Tuesday as Radcliffe beat Colwyn Bay 3-0 to finally rubber-stamp their survival in Evo-Stik First Division North.

And, with his players free of any lingering doubts over which league they will play in next term, Gibbons is keen for everyone connected with the club to enjoy their run-in.

“It was a good way to bounce back after the recent disappointments,” he said.

“We have had some tough games in the last few weeks but it was a really good performance on Tuesday, particularly in the first half, when I thought we were great.

“We asked the players to do the ‘ugly’ side of the game and match the opposition’s work rate and they did that, I was pleased for them to come through it – it has been a bit of a depressing time.

"We have some really good footballers who have been down in the dumps which can happen when you’re getting beaten – especially after the losing the cup final – but the lads looked to be enjoying their football again. They put the work in and there were smiles on their faces again.

"You could see in them just how much that was needed and they’re feeling good about themselves again now. They could have just been happy to see the season out from that point but we still needed to make sure we were mathematically safe.

"I haven’t had any sleepless nights, it was always in my mind that we had enough in the squad and we were never in real danger of going down.”

Boro welcome Brighouse Town to Taurus Park on Saturday, followed by a short trip to Ramsbottom two days later.

And their campaign closes the following Saturday with the visit of Prescot Cables.

That is three games for Gibbons to assess his lot and begin making plans for what he hopes will be a more consistent season next time around.

“We have had some good results and beaten some of the teams at the top but lost silly games where we should have picked up points,” he said. “So it hasn’t been the best of years but we can just enjoy the last three games now.

"They are all tough games but I want to let them express themselves in these matches and we can start to think about our rebuilding plans for next season."