PAUL Carden admits “tempers were frayed” in the Warrington Town dressing room after Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Nantwich.

The reverse at the Weaver Stadium extended Town’s winless streak to four games.

They remain second in the Evo-Stik Premier Division with just seven matches remaining, but Carden says his side need to “roll their sleeves up,” starting with the reverse fixture against the Dabbers at Cantilever Park tonight.

“Hopefully, Saturday acts as a wake-up call that we need to get back on it,” he told the Guardian.

“In the past four games, we’ve gone from being a point behind Altrincham to being eight points behind them and the gap beneath us has tightened up.

“We’ve not done ourselves any favours in that sense, so we need to get back on it.

“The season is coming to a close and we need to be hitting form.

“We’ve got to roll our sleeves up because our form over the last four games hasn’t been good enough.

“In defeat, you highlight your mistakes a lot more than your good play.

“Things were said after the game and tempers frayed a little bit because lads are disappointed.

“I don’t want lads smiling and enjoying themselves when we’re getting beat because that’s not how I am and that certainly wasn’t the case.”

Carden is facing a defensive shortage as he sweats on the fitness of Liam Goulding ahead of tonight's game.

During Saturday's game, Goulding was caught in the face by the elbow of Dabbers man Sam Wakefield, who was sent off for the challenge.

An initial x-ray cleared Goulding of a fractured cheekbone, but he faces a race against time to be fit for tonight's game

With Jay McEveley out with a hip flexor problem and skipper Jay McCarten out for the remainder of the season, Jack Higgins is Yellows' only other fit and available centre-half.