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Gary Setchell knows there is little room for error as Corby Town bid to make a last-ditch attempt to break into the top five in the Northern Premier League Midlands.

The Steelmen made it three wins in a row with a comprehensive 3-0 success at Shepshed Dynamo last weekend.

Jordan O’Brien made it five goals in two games by scoring twice with Hilton Arthur’s fine strike wrapping things up.

Those three successive wins have kept Corby in the hunt for a play-off spot as they sit in seventh place, four points behind fifth-placed Sporting Khalsa with a game in hand.

Jordan O'Brien celebrates after scoring his second goal, and his fifth in two games, in Corby Town's 3-0 win at Shepshed Dynamo last weekend. Picture by Jim Darrah

But, as he prepares to take his team to struggling Dereham Town this weekend, Setchell understands his team can’t really afford to slip up before those above them do.

“We are in the cup semi-final zone every week at the minute,” the Steelmen boss said.

“If we slip up before the teams above us slip up then that’s going to make it difficult because, all of a sudden, there will be a steady gap again.

“But if they slip up before us then we will be on a level playing field.

“At a maximum, we can probably afford to lose two games, possibly only one because there’s a lot of teams in good form.

“There’s probably six or seven teams vying for two play-off spots in a mini league.

“We wanted to take the season as deep as possible and, fingers crossed, that will be the case and we will still be in with a chance towards the end.

“The good thing for us is that we are in a polar opposite situation to what we were two or three weeks ago.

“The season could now come down to a moment of brilliance, a mistake, a refereeing decision - everything is crucial.”

Setchell, meanwhile, believes an improvement in the fitness of his players has been pivotal in their recent good form.

“The main thing we have done is that we have got them fitter,” he added.

“I think training and working away from the club were neglected before we got here.

“We have doubled the time we have on the training pitch and also set them stuff to do at home, which they are doing and that’s paying dividends.

“We’re a lot fitter and when you are fit, you’re able to be more aggressive and when you’re more aggressive, you’re able to put the opposition under more pressure.

“Dereham will be tricky. They are fighting for their lives.

“But our mindset now is that if we put our best foot forward, we are going to be a match for most teams in the division.”

There’s little room for error as Steelmen seek a fourth win in a row