SHAWBURY United have given themselves a glimmer of hope in their survival fight going into the final two games – and boss Dave Richards wants to prove their doubters wrong.

Wins over Loughborough University and Quorn have kept United’s survival hopes alive despite a heavy defeat at high-flying Highgate in between.

They must beat drop rivals South Normanton on Thursday and promotion-chasing Coleshill on the last day to have a chance of staying up.

Even then, their fate will depend on other results but Richards just wants his troops to take the battle to the bitter end like their memorable final-day escape last year.

Richards said: “We needed to make sure we put pressure on the teams around us and we have done that.

“South Normanton are at home to Worcester on Saturday which is tough.

“So we need to take care of business against them on Thursday night and make it go to the last game because funnier things have happened.

“If we do that, Coleshill will still be favourites to beat us but in football, nothing is guaranteed, you see it all the time.

“They will come for three points to finish runners-up but we are not going to make it easy.

“People have been writing us off all season. People told us we were down after Christmas and then they said we were finished five or six weeks ago.

“Now we are going into the final two games of the season hanging on to our Midland League status – and that’s what we intend to do.”

A Liam Taylor strike and a Keanu Cooper brace downed Loughborough 3-0 last Wednesday, while Ben Cullen bagged a hat-trick as Shawbury crushed Quorn 5-2 on Monday night, with Matty Ballard and Jason Wellings also netting.

Saturday’s game was one to forget as Shawbury were drubbed 8-0 at Highgate – unavailability and suspension meant both boss Richards and Stu Lewis had to play, while Harry Farnsworth picked up a harsh red card.