JOINT-manager Matt Gardiner has lauded Worcester City’s mental strength and is confident they can bounce back with a precious victory at Lowestoft Town in Suffolk tomorrow night (7.45pm).

Worcester reignited fears of relegation on Saturday when they were humbled 3-1 by a Reece Webb-Foster-inspired Bradford Park Avenue side.

However, with six points separating themselves and third-from-bottom Lowestoft who have a game in hand, Gardiner insisted his side were in a good position to avoid the drop.

With Brackley Town facing relegation rivals AFC Telford United tomorrow evening, a win for 15th-placed City at Crown Meadow would see them retain their Vanarama National League North status and Gardiner said this was a “great incentive”.

“Our heads are certainly not down,” said Gardiner, whose side can also stay up with a draw if Telford win at Brackley.

“You could see that in the second half on Saturday.

“We weren’t good enough in the first half but the players reacted in the right way and they have got the chance to put that right tonight.

“We have had bad results before and then bounced back.

“We were 2-1 up against Stockport and lost 3-2.

“That could have damaged a lot of teams.

“But we came out and won on the Tuesday night (against Hednesford Town), so I have got no problem with the team mentally.

“We are refocused for tomorrow night’s game, we know what to do and that is a great incentive. It is in our hands and that’s the way we want to keep it.”

Gardiner was critical of the way his side started at the weekend and has urged his players to be positive against Lowestoft, who will be keen to boost their own survival hopes.

“Lowestoft are down there scrapping,” he said.

“No one is giving up and rightly so, so we are not going there expecting to have an easy game.

“It is going to be really tough, especially going there in midweek.

“But we can’t let that affect us, we have got to prepare right and be as positive as we can.”

Goalkeeper Nathan Vaughan and full-back Tyler Weir missed the trip to Bradford after sustaining thigh injuries and are battling to be fit to face Lowestoft.

But Gardiner, who will also be without Shaun Donnellan due to his involvement with West Bromwich Albion under-21s, said he had players to fill their shoes.

“Tyler has come back after two months out and played a lot of football, so he has got a bit of a thigh strain,” he said.

“Nathan has also got a thigh strain, so he wasn’t quite right for Saturday.

“We put him on the bench just as a precaution but he would not have been able to kick the ball and his mobility wasn’t great.

“We will assess them and see.

“They are trying to be fit but if they are not we have got a good enough 11 we can put on the pitch to get a result and I am confident of that.”