ALAN Pridham cried tears of joy after his Bath City side escaped relegation at St George's Lane on the final day of last season.

But if the Romans sneak another victory tomorrow (3pm) it could well be Worcester City management duo John Barton and Mick Tuohy reaching for the Kleenex.

City are in the middle of a seven-game run which has seen them win just once, culminating in a 3-2 defeat at lowly Ilkeston last week with Adam Webster and Darren Middleton on target.

Confidence remains fragile but Tuohy insists the players can still end their Dr Martens Premier Division campaign on a high.

However, the omens are not good tomorrow with Bath proving something of a bogey team for Worcester who have not beaten them in 11 meetings stretching back more than 10 years.

"We were bitterly disappointed after last week," admitted Tuohy. "These players don't become bad players overnight but the confidence has drained a little bit.

"They are shell-shocked because they expected to be in a better position than they are but there are still 12 points to play for.

"We had a chat after the Ilkeston game and a few home truths were said but they are still a good bunch of lads and they deserve to be in a better position for the efforts they have put in over the season.

"It's the old clich that players win games and managers and coaches that lose them and ultimately we take that responsibility.

"We try and freshen things up and change things round but we looked like a jaded end of season team last week but we are determined to get it right tomorrow.

"Bath are a bit of a bogey team for us and we produced our worst display against them earlier this season but there is no way we will play as badly as that. We want to finish the last four games unbeaten and go into next season with confidence."

Injury and suspension will again hamper selection but Tuohy will not be using that as an excuse and believes the players' attitude is firmly on the task in hand.

"Injuries are a fact of life and we won't hide behind them," he said.

"I take 95 per cent of the training sessions and the attitude of the players is the same as when we were top of the league.

"Ultimately the little rubs of the green that we may have enjoyed earlier in the season have gone the other way and the swings and roundabouts have kicked in.

"One thing is clear though and that is we have not been scoring enough goals and that is an area we need to look at."

Bath have lost just two of their last eight games to haul themselves into the top half of the table. Jason Eaton grabbed the winner during the clubs' meeting in October in a mixed evening for City 'keeper Danny McDonnell who saved a penalty.

FORMCAST: No win for Worcester as they fight out a 1-1 draw.