CHORLEY will need to rely on other results going their way on Saturday, the final day of the UniBond League season, if they are to be in the promotion play-offs.
The Magpies are now in seventh place on 70 points and a win from their final match would only guarantee them a play-off place if Witton Albion are beaten and Belper Town fail to win.
Witton who have two points more than Chorley have a superior goal difference so a draw would most likely see them finish above the Magpies.
Chorley's reward, if things do go their way, will be a trip to the club finishing third from bottom in the Premier Division, in the play-offs semi-final.
Gateshead currently occupy that spot and would represent a tough challenge for Chorley.
The play-off final will take place on Saturday, May 3.
After Monday's defeat at Bamber Bridge in front of a season's best 605 crowd, Chorley round off their season with a trip to South Yorkshire to take on Stocksbridge Park Steels.
The Magpies are due some success at the expense of the club who knocked them out of the FA Trophy in October after a 1-1 draw at Victory Park and who held Chorley to a 0-0 draw here a month ago.
The ups and downs that have marked an exciting campaign for Chorley since the arrival of Mark Molyneaux and Wayne Goodison were always going to combine to take the season to the wire.
The Chorley manager said : "We didn't promise success, but we did promise fun and excitement. The players have given their all and if we don't go up we'll all have tried our hardest."
Excitement was the organisers' hope when the extra promotion place was introduced last season and it's certainly proving to be a cliff-hanger, with the semi-final lineup still in the melting pot as the league programme ends on Saturday.
THE meeting of the newly-formed Chorley FC Former Players' Association, scheduled for Tuesday, April 29, has been put back a week because of the possibility of the Magpies being involved in the promotion play-off semi-final that night.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article