Ending winless run is Knaresborough Town's one-and-only priority after more points are dropped

Saturday saw the Manse Lane outfit surrender another winning position as they drew 1-1 at Pickering, just four days after conspiring to throw away a 3-0 lead at Frickley.

Their failure to come out on top in either of those matches means that Boro have tasted victory only once in their last 13 NCEL Premier Division outings and gone six league games without a win.

"Getting three points on the board is the most important thing for us at this moment in time, it's the only thing we need to worry about,” Parkes said.

“We’ve just got to forget about our long-term plans and objectives for the time being. At the start of the season, we were targeting the play-offs, but right now the focus can only be on getting that all-important next victory.

"Once we have done that, we can address where we are, worry about our league position and where we go from there. Those early-season ambitions are starting to look like a distant dream, so we need to get ourselves out of the rut we are in.

"I think that there is an element of desperation creeping in, so as a management team, it is our job to step in and deal with that and take the pressure off the lads.

“We all still believe in ourselves. I know that there is still belief inside the changing room that we are capable of competing at the right end of the table. It’s just about getting some of those finer details right and finding ways to win games on a more consistent basis.”

Saturday saw Lewis Stephens fire Boro into a 45th-minute lead at Pickering following a dominant first-half showing, but having failed to take their chances and put the game to bed, they were pegged back by a Blake Drury equaliser.

Last week’s 4-4 draw at Frickley was an even tougher pill for Parkes to swallow. His side surged into a three-goal interval lead courtesy of efforts from Ewan Gregson, Rob Guilfoyle and Stephens, only to concede three times in the space of 14 second-half minutes.

Brad Walker then restored Town’s lead in the 90th minute, however the hosts hit back again and snatched a point courtesy of a last-gasp penalty.

"The first 45 minutes at Frickley were the best we have played all season, there was so much fluidity about our football and good movement,” Parkes added.

“Our attacking players produced a masterclass, but our discipline and mentality was poor in the second half. We kept giving away silly free-kicks and we got punished for that.

"We were 3-0 up after 69 minutes and then just folded as a team. To then go 4-3 up late on before giving away a penalty, which was the last kick of the game, was just so frustrating.

"On Saturday, it was a case of more of the same. We were cruising again, we had lots of the ball and created so many chances, but we just didn’t capitalise.

"Again, that lack of discipline and the ability to manage a game has cost us.”