PHIL Parkinson demanded a ruthless streak for the title run-in after Altrincham reeled off two convincing wins in quick succession to confirm a return to peak form and strengthen their hold on top place in the Evo-Stik Premier.

A recent return of one point from three home games seemed a distant memory, as Alty followed up Saturday’s 2-0 scoreline at Halesowen with a 5-1 rout of Shaw Lane on Tuesday night to open up a six-point lead over nearest rivals Warrington.

Alty's goals came from Tom Peers, Simon Richman, Jake Moult and Jordan Hulme (two).

It left Parkinson beaming with pride, but the Alty boss warned there must be no let-up in the quest to be promoted as champions.

"We have to keep our foot on the pedal, and that’s something we have spoken about," he said.

"We have already seen this season how important it is to maintain performance levels, and that will continue to apply, because it’s going to be anything but plain sailing.

"There are still a lot of minutes to be played, and there will be twists and turns.

"But I’m immensely pleased and proud at the way the players are dealing with the pressure at the moment, in terms of the expectations on them.

"We kicked on from Saturday and went on to the next level, and I was really made up with the way we managed the game.

"The intensity, work-rate and leadership on the pitch throughout was fantastic.

"The sharp interplay and clinical finishing for some of the goals was what we’ve been about all season.

"It was a real statement, and I thought the fans were superb as well, singing and cheering us on, even at 1-1, which is when we needed it most.

"As I say, there are still going to be twists and turns over the remaining nine games, but we’ve got a team out there who are fighting every inch of the way.

"It’s not just the starting XI, either – the lads on the bench have got a fantastic, positive attitude, which is great to see."

Connor Hampson could be back next week, but Ben Harrison and James Poole are major doubts.