MAGPIES’ manager Alan Knight has likened tomorrow’s opponents to “wounded animals”.

Thurrock are currently rooted to the foot of Blue Square Bet South, 14 points below safety and 16 games without a win.

However, during that rotten run of results, the basement boys have managed impressive draws with promotion-chasing Sutton and table-topping Woking – who inflicted a 4-1 defeat on Dorchester Town earlier this week.

And for that reason, Knight is wary heading into tomorrow’s clash at Ship Lane (3pm).

He told Echosport: “We go from one extreme to the other, playing top of the league to bottom of the league.

“But they are fighting for their lives at the moment and they did manage to draw with Woking not so long ago, so they can cause problems.

“It’s never an easy place to go, even if that sounds contradictory given their position in the table.

“Every point for them is now vital, even though people have written them off already. I have been in that position before but when you still have hope you have to give it 110 per cent.

“We have got to take that into account, especially as we lost to Havant after they had gone a long time without a win. They’ll be like wounded animals and that is when they are most dangerous.

“We just need to apply ourselves, which we have done in the majority of games since I’ve been here, and show our professionalism.”

Tuesday’s loss at the league leaders leaves the Magpies 12 points adrift of a play-off spot with nine games to go.

Knight added: “We don’t want to let our season peter out. We can have a big say in what happens in this division for the rest of the season so we have got to keep battling away.

“We want to end the season on a high and we still want to achieve the club’s best finish at this level.

“We also want to take some momentum into next season and maintain a winning mentality, as winning is a good habit to get into it.”

Dorchester have been down to the bare bones in recent outings and it remains unclear whether the likes of Nick Crittenden, Jamie Gleeson, Jamie Symes and Rico Wilson will be fit to feature tomorrow afternoon.

Knight said: “We will just have to wait and see. Glees’ ear infection has no real timescale on it. It could be short or it could be long.

“He says he is feeling better but he’s not 100 per cent and we don’t want to rush him back too quickly.

“That also goes for the others as there is no point making things worse.”

Should the quartet miss out, reserve-team stars Alex Godfrey and Antony Carlile could be called upon once more.

Magpies (from): Walker-Harris, Jones, Critchell, Bell, Smeeton, Martin, Jermyn, N Walker, S Walker, S Buckler, Nicholls, Dovell, Gleeson, Crittenden, Symes, Worsfold, Malsom, Nichols, Godfrey, Carlile.

* Dorchester Town’s Auction of Promises, in aid of Motor Neurone Disease, takes place at the Avenue Stadium tonight (7.30pm).

Prizes up for auction include a stadium tour at Anfield, a signed photo of Sir Geoff Hurst and signed footballs from Celtic and Everton.