TIVIDALE will look to lift themselves off the foot of the table when they travel to relegation rivals Carlton Town this Saturday.

Boss Ross Thorpe says the clash at the foot of the Northern Premier League Division One South is the biggest of the season so far.

The Dale will leapfrog this weekend’s opponents should they bag their first success since September.

Thorpe thinks victory against third from bottom Carlton could also be a major turning point for his side ahead of the busy festive period.

He said: “It is the biggest game of the season by far. We just need to concentrate on our own game and approach it the same as any other.

“They will obviously be the favourites and will fancy their chances of pushing away from the bottom of the table.

“We have to make sure we start the game well on the front foot. We finally managed to do that against Coalville and it really helped us.

“We have a busy December coming up and a win would be massive for our chances of pushing on into the second half of the season.

“We haven’t been picking up the points that our performances deserve but just need to keep going and producing the same levels.”

Tivi go into the game in fine form after a determined display in defeat against second-placed Coalville at The Beeches last Saturday.

The hosts bagged a lead in the game through attacking midfielder Malachi Farquharson but couldn’t hold on as Town stormed back late on to bag the points with a 2-1 win.

It was a bitter blow for the basement boys but also another indication of Tivi’s growing potential as a side.

“I think 60 seconds defined the game,” added Thorpe. “We had a chance that saw Malachi hit the post before they went up the field and got the equaliser straight after.

“If we’d have gone 2-0 up then it would have been hard for them to come back. We just need those fine margins to go our way.

“Credit has to go to Coalville because they showed why they are up near the top of the table. They kept going and dug out the win.

“It was disappointing because of the amount of work the players put into the game. They were brilliant and it was hard to take but our attention now turns to Carlton.”

Thorpe and joint-boss Phil Male don’t have any major fitness concerns ahead of the clash and have been boosted with the return of forward Demetri Brown.

Thorpe has also praised his players for the way they have developed in recent weeks.

“Malachi has been brilliant since he arrived. I have known him since he was 16 and he is a great lad as well.

"He has settled in really well and is an important player for us,” he added. “But there are others that have been just as vital. The likes of Scott Devlin and Jason Chilton have worked so hard at their fitness levels and have really stood out."

“Malachi and Chris Sterling may well get the headlines for scoring the goals but this side has a lot of unsung heroes.”