Preview: Old Albanian vs Macclesfield

Old Albanian need to target five points on Saturday against basement side Macclesfield, according to captain Billy Johnson.

OAs are in a fight for their National League One life with five games remaining. They sit five points clear of Cinderford, who occupy the final relegation spot.

Saturday’s opponent, Macclesfield, are bottom and, while not mathematically down, look set for a season in National Two North next year. And while not underestimating Geoff Wappett’s side, Johnson believes OAs need to be going for maximum points at Woollams on Saturday.

“We’ve got to go for five points this weekend,” he said. “We have to stay disciplined and stick to the way we play.

“If we stick to our attacking patterns and stay disciplined defensively then we should be able to rack up four tries and stop them from scoring.”

Johnson, who recently captained England Counties to victory over Scotland Club, believes three wins will secure OAs status as a National League One club, although he is toeing the party line instilled by head coach Andy Holloway and refusing to look past Macclesfield.

“I’m trying not to look past Saturday but three wins should make us secure – we don’t want to have to rely on Cinderford [slipping up],” he said.

“We’ll focus on this week and then gets a week’s rest ahead of Esher. If we can beat them, then we’ll re-evaluate where we are.

He added: “We haven’t got to play one of the top six but the challenge is still huge – we have to recognise that and go into every game with the right attitude.”