The Super 8 play-offs are the aim for Workington Town coach Dave Clark as his side prepare for the first of three crunch games to decide their fate.

Town travel to Barrow on Sunday before more vital clashes against Keighley and Whitehaven, with a top-five finish still achievable and Clark sees no reason why his players should not aim to compete for the play-offs.

“We’ve put ourselves in a position where we can still make the top five so these three games are really important for us to achieve that,” said Clark. “It’s going to need a big performance from us to keep it up.

“We’ll have a look at the Barrow v York game but we’re just worrying about what we need to do.

“I’ve had indications from our players this year that they can compete.

“We’ve been unlucky at times and there were a few games we lost at the death.

“I would like to think that making the top eight was our objective and we achieved that so now it’s the next goal.”

After Tom Curwen, Stevie Scholey and Gordon Maudling penned fresh deals with the club last week, Clark is keen to see more players stake their claim for new contracts in the final weeks of the season.

“It is a challenge for the players really to buy into what the club’s ethos is and what the ambitions are,” he added.

“We made some really good signings this season.

“It was a bit of an eye-opener for some with the intensity of the competition.

“There are some who have really put their hand up and grasped their opportunity to play in League One.”

Clark admitted he was enjoying the challenge of having an almost full squad to choose from, with only forward Jake Moore not in contention for this weekend’s match.

Town are due to train tonight and on Friday, ahead of Sunday’s trip to Barrow.