TNS manager Scott Ruscoe has ordered his players to treat every game they play like a cup final ahead of the visit of Bala Town on Friday night (7.45).

The Saints need now extra incentive having lost to Bala in the reverse fixture while the Lakesiders arrive seeking their first ever win at Park Hall.

Ruscoe wants his side to turn their attention to keeping more clean sheets, having kept just one since the start of the season.

“Every time a team sees us conceding goals, they’ll be up for coming to us and giving us a good game,” said Ruscoe.

“We are in a position at the moment where we are a few points off the top.

“What is a slight concern is that teams are starting to come to us, or welcome us to their place, and thinking they’ve got a good chance against us.

“In reality we have the best squad, the best players and the best staff so no one should be getting near us.”

Ruscoe insisted even in defeat his side had only lost by fine margins and players needed to treat every game like a cup final.

“The players’ mentalities have to be better, they have to realise every single game is like a cup final, because other teams all want to come here and beat us,” said Ruscoe.

“Clean sheets aren’t coming as often as we’d like them to, so we have to work at that.

“However if you look at how the opposition are scoring, then you see that we’re certainly dominating games.”

Ruscoe conceded his squad had plenty of room for improvement but maintained he was not concerned about the club playing catch up to unbeaten league leaders Barry Town United.

“We have some things that we’re trying to put right but the positive is that we ended up winning the game on Saturday.

“We ended up getting the three points, but conceding goals is something we need to work on ahead of the Bala game.”

Bala arrive in Oswestry striving for a league double over the Saints and 150th all time top flight game.