SILSDEN may not be fighting promotion or relegation battles but boss Danny Forrest is determined not to let the season fizzle out.

With nine games in April, the Cobbydalers face a busy run-in to their Hallmark Security League Division One campaign.

And Forrest, whose side sit comfortably in mid-table, highlighted the importance of a strong finish.

He said: "You could easily say we're not going to go up or go down, we'll not bother training or we'll take our foot off the gas.

"But I want to go the other way where we’re carrying into next season. I want us to be an attractive proposition for players to stay with us and for one or two to join us.

"I feel like good things are happening at the club on and off the pitch. We're building nicely and have got a month or so left with a lot of games.

"We want a good run to the end and hopefully take it into next season."

Forrest, whose side were due to visit Eccleshall last night (Wednesday), is hoping the Cobbydalers can get among the promotion race in 2017-18.

The club were aiming to make an immediate return to the top flight after dropping out of the Premier Division for the first time since 2005 last year. But it has proved to be a season of transition as Forrest puts his stamp on the squad after taking over from James Gill last November.

The former Bantams player is in his first managerial post at semi-professional level and said: "I'm really enjoying it.

"There is probably a lot more work involved than I thought. Having been used to just being a player, you don’t see what else goes into it but I'm thriving off it.

"If a day goes by when I don’t have to do something, whether it’s talk to a player or sort the kit out, it feels strange."

Forrest feels he only needs two or three quality additions to give his squad the strength in depth to make a sustained challenge next season.

He has already brought in a number of new recruits, with Dan Illingworth a stand-out capture.

The centre half won the division's player of the month for February and Forrest said: "Dan has been absolutely brilliant for us – he fully deserved his award.

"He is a leader – exactly the type of character I want at the club. He leaves nothing on the pitch and is a really good lad to have around. Josh Kaine is really stepping up to the mark as captain as well."

The pair have been at the heart of a more solid-looking Silsden defence, an area which Forrest had been keen to improve when he stepped up to the helm.

He said: "It's something I wanted to work on straight away and was a priority. I went into it a bit big-headed, thinking it would be a few sessions and we’d get there, but it took a bit longer.

"Matty Moses was out for six weeks at the start, which didn’t help, but the last seven or eight games, we've had a settled back four and goalkeeper and put time in on the training ground.

"I'm not saying we’ll keep a clean sheet every game but we’ve got more of a chance than before."

Evidence that Silsden are becoming harder to break down came when they kept successive clean sheets for the first time last month in games at top-four sides Charnock Richard (0-0 draw) and Whitchurch Alport (1-0 win).

Forrest, who credits assistant Matty McNeil – a former Football League defender – for helping Silsden become harder to beat, said: "They were two tough away games and to get four points gave us a bit more confidence that we can compete with these sides. It's a good thing looking ahead to next season."