WARRINGTON Town must use the disappointment of missing out on the Evo-Stik Premier Division title to fuel them in the play-offs, manager Paul Carden says.

With top spot now mathematically out of reach – they trail Farsley Celtic by four points with one game remaining – Yellows must take the longer route to the National League North.

Their play-off semi-final will take place at Cantilever Park on Tuesday against either Buxton – their opponents in Saturday’s final regular season game – Gainsborough Trinity or Nantwich Town.

They lost at the semi-final stage of last season’s play-offs, but Carden thinks they are better placed for success this time around.

“We have a better squad and a stronger team. The big thing now is picking ourselves up,” he said.

“Our aim was promotion through the play-offs. We put ourselves in a position where we might be able to nick the title but it wasn’t to be.

“We revert back to the original plan. We’re good enough to beat anybody in this division but we’ve got to use this disappointment to fuel us.

“If we strop and sulk, we’ll find ourselves in the same situation as last year and we can’t do that.

“We’re on great form and we have to take that into the play-offs.”

While the title may be out of reach, Town can still finish second and guarantee any play-off match they reach beyond the first stage will be played at home.

They head to Buxton on Saturday needing to better the result of South Shields, who visit Gainsborough Trinity, to leapfrog the Mariners.

Carden reflected on last year, when Shaw Lane were deducted the points they gained from a 5-0 win over his side for fielding an ineligible player but their goal difference was allowed to stand, which ended up costing Town second spot.

He is keen to avoid a repeat this year and called on his attacking players to show more of a ruthless streak than they have been doing of late.

“I want as many points as we can get,” he said.

“Last season, we finished third on goal difference and we felt hard done by with the Shaw Lane scenario.

“It is big, it is important and every game now is a must-win as it’s sudden death.

“We need to make sure we’re functioning properly and make sure our attacking players are clinical and ruthless, which they haven’t been in the past couple of games.”