City boss Heeley challenges his squad to prove a point

Carl Heeley feels City can be competitive in Blue Square Bet North

Worcester City manager Carl Heeley says his side is in the midst of its toughest run of games so far in the Blue Square Bet North season.

Heeley told BBC Hereford and Worcester now is the time for his players to stand up and be counted.

"We've got aspirations of our own and we want to be at the right end of the table," he said.

"We don't want to be struggling in the bottom four as we have set out our stall a little bit higher than that."

Heeley acknowledges Guiseley are likely to be a very tough test when the come to St George's Lane on Saturday, 5 November.

"It looks as though we are in our toughest group of fixtures of the season and it is a benchmark of where we need to be at if we want to be challenging those sides at the top end," he said.

"It doesn't take much to work out that both Stalybridge and Guiseley will be competing for the top two or three places. They are the best two sides I have seen," he added.

City are due to make a late check on the fitness of midfielder Matt Birley who has been struggling with a heel problem although he was due to train on Thursday evening.

Heeley knows what to expect from Guiseley but feels his team is capable of dealing with the threat.

"They play a totally different formation [compared to Stalybridge] and we know what Guiseley are all about," he said.

"They have improved one or two individuals in key areas and that has made a huge difference to them," he added.

There will be coverage of Worcester City against Guiseley as part of Sport on Saturday from 1400 GMT on BBC Hereford and Worcester.