TONY HACKWORTH has targeted a full house of nine points from nine over the Christmas period after his Pickering Town side kicked off the festive fortnight by taking the first three.

Three cracking goals saw the Pikes beat 10-man Parkgate in the Northern Counties East League premier division on Saturday, and next up is a quick-fire double-header against lowly Retford United, starting away this Saturday followed by a home return leg on the first Saturday of the new year.

Last weekend's 3-0 win ended a two-match losing run which shipped in 10 goals.

Said Hackworth: "I'm delighted to get the three points on the board, especially on the back of two poor performances against Albion Sports and Cleethorpes.

"We needed to get back to winning ways. I set the lads a target going into New Year and that was the first one ticked off.

"We want nine points from these three games, so to get the first three is good. We didn't play particularly well but got the win and that will stand us in good stead going to Retford on Saturday."

Hackworth is set to travel with an unchanged squad, and added: "Retford are down there with Parkgate but they will be fighting for their lives so it will be tough."

Saturday's win pushed the Pikes into 13th in the table.

It began uncertainly as Parkgate had the ball in the net within a minute of the kick off only for the goal to be disallowed with the referee judging the ball to have gone out for a corner in the run-up to the strike.

That warning was heeded and Pickering scored the opening goal on 11 minutes.

Billy Logan chested the ball down and laid it out to the returning Robbie Hawkes, who outpaced the visitors full-back. He then found Chris Batchelor with a superb cross and the midfielder tapped home to finish off a superb move.

Five minutes later, Logan set up Joel Ramm but his 16-yard shot went narrowly wide. A minute later, the visitors' Adam Stapleford-Jones was clean through on the Pikes goal, after beating the offside trap, only for Callum Myers to run out and save superbly.

Myers was beaten on 24 minutes when the same player again ran clean through but the shot went wide. Parkgate were reduced to 10 men on 34 minutes when Ross Skelton was sent off for dissent and they were made to pay - for both the red card and their missed chances - as Pickering made the extra man count six minutes before the break.

Logan received the ball 20 yards from goal and laid it off to Hawkes. His shot was partially saved by Jamie Bailey but Logan fired in the rebound from eight yards.

Pikes skipper Wayne Aziz went off three minutes before the interval with a bad head wound, replaced by Niall Tilsley, and, having forged into a commanding position, the home side were content to sit on their advantage in the second period.

That was until the 68th minute when Logan notched his second of the game. Receiving the ball outside the area with his back to goal, he turned and struck a fierce shot into the roof of the net.

The game saw Regan Fish make his debut. The former Leeds and Rotherham junior started and was replaced by Joe Danby midway through the second half.

Pickering: Myers, Belt, Batchelor, Ramm, Aziz (Tilsley 42), Banks, Hawkes (Chamberlain 81), Taylor, Logan, Fish (Danby 67), Gibb. Subs not used: Calvert, Outerbridge. Attendance: 123.