WORCESTER City boss Andy Preece insists his players must keep the faith in their last four games.

City head to Alfreton Town this afternoon seven points adrift of the Nationwide North play-off zone following the 1-1 draw with Gainsborough.

Preece accepts that City's promotion dream is over for another season but expects his players to give their all until the end of the season.

He felt the commitment level dropped after Gainsborough's equaliser on Saturday as the reality of City's league position dawned.

The manager said: "I want to finish as high as possible. There's a possibility of finishing sixth or seventh and that's what we'll be aiming for.

"You just never give up and I felt that when that goal went in there were a few tired legs and shoulders dropped. It was as if it had all got to them.

"I think our heads went down a little bit and with the position we're in they just felt it wasn't going to happen.

"We had to keep believing that we could win that game when it went to one each."

Preece added: "We should have got six points from the last two games and that's something that we have to improve on next year. That's why we're where we are and that's why we're not up there challenging."

Although City still have four games to play, Preece is already planning for next season.

He said: "We'll have to have a look at it at the end of the season and weigh things up because we have got to find that little bit of improvement from somewhere. We need leaders in the team, players who are going to set an example and keep people going.

"That'll be the sort of person I'll be looking for when we bring players in but it's not that easy.

"It just seems that when players come to Worcester City they expect the earth financially and that's always a problem.

"We'll just have to see what the budget is next year."