WORCESTER City manager Chris Cornes has urged his players to prove why they should be included in next season's squad with what remains of the current campaign.

City have six games left in the 2022/23 Midland Football League Premier season and despite being ten points clear of the relegation zone, Cornes does not want to see his team tail off.

Last weekend's 4-1 defeat at Racing Club Warwick angered the boss on a number of levels and he expects a reaction when the team welcome Studley to Claines Lane on Saturday.

Studley sit 12th in the Midland Football League Premier, having won 11 of their 32 matches but come into the clash with City having lost their last three games on the their travels.

"We are getting to that point in the season where it looks like we are safe. But we want to finish as high as we can and now we are also looking at these players with next season in mind," said Cornes.

"But if you were judging who I might be taking next year on the back of last week's performance (4-1 defeat at Racing Club Warwick) I don't think I'd be taking anyone on bar maybe the youngster (James) Batchelor."

City have struggled for consistency in recent weeks; with a tendency to back-up wins with losses. And even if they seem to have done enough to pull clear of the trouble at the bottom of the league, Cornes is challenging his players to prove a point with what remains of the campaign. 

In the fall-out from the defeat last Saturday, Cornes admitted there would be some serious questions asked.

"We didn't impose ourselves on the game enough and when you go to a side who are at the top of the table and you know how they are going to play, and you don't deal with it, that's how you lose," he added.

"They (Racing Club Warwick) are a good side, I am not taking anything away from them, but we just gifted them four goals and that's not good enough so I will be looking into why that was.

"It was the Cheltenham Gold Cup (day before) and I wonder how many went there and stayed out afterward. I wonder if that was why our performance was so bad so there will be an inquest into that on my part.

"But it's happened now so it's crunch time for a lot of those players with just six games left of the season."