GARY Liddle could sense the different atmosphere in training after City avoided an FA Cup banana skin at Halifax.

Tomorrow’s opponents Scunthorpe were taken to a record-breaking penalty shoot-out before edging past Worcester City in midweek.

City had their own non-league scare in the first round when they came from behind to claim local bragging rights at The Shay.

Liddle did not play that day and followed the game on the TV. But he felt the impact of that victory at Apperley Bridge the following week – and City have not looked back in the six weeks since.

The midfielder said: “We’d only won two out of 13 games prior to Halifax and confidence obviously wasn’t as high as it is now.

“It was a difficult game on paper and it proved to be in the flesh. I watched at home and the lads did terrifically well.

“You could see the lads were full of confidence in training afterwards and it’s built from that. Winning breeds confidence and we’re getting a few of those at the moment.

“Confidence plays such a massive part, especially at this level. You can find yourself at the bottom of the league and players go hiding.

“They don’t make angles for each other and don’t want the ball when you’ve got possession. Nobody wants to make a mistake.

“But now we’re seeing the other side of that. We build our game on work rate above all else and now we’re playing with more confidence and getting the results on the back of that.”

City have also rediscovered their goal touch and the variety of the scorers has been another key factor for Liddle in the current upturn. Jon Stead has bagged four, Billy Clarke has netted in each of the last three games and Mark Yeates is also chipping in.

Liddle feels that spreading goals around will keep opponents guessing.

“Teams will always pinpoint certain players before games – we do the same. If teams do their scouting reports on us and realise they need to be careful of four or five different players scoring goals, that’s all the better.”

City’s run has taken them to within a point of the top six ahead of the holiday fixtures against Scunthorpe, Fleetwood and Notts County. Another win tomorrow would set them up nicely for next week’s double header.

Liddle said: “It’s a massive opportunity. Games come thick and fast over Christmas and if we can maintain this good vein of form then we could find ourselves in the play-offs going into the new year.

“A lot was made of the home form earlier in the season but recent results there have evened it out a little.

“The lads have never had any fear of playing in front of our own fans and I know how much they are looking forward to it. To be back on home soil is great for us.”

Phil Parkinson watched Scunthorpe in midweek and was impressed with their Conference North hosts. Captain Stephen Darby reckons it was another reminder of how hard non-league opposition can be.

Darby said: “There have been a lot of upsets already in the first couple of rounds and we’ve done well to make sure we weren’t one of them.

“We put in two really professional performances to get through. Scunthorpe had a difficult time in midweek but I’m sure they will be really up for it come the weekend.

“We know it’s going to be a tough match but we’ll take confidence from what we’ve been doing over the last few weeks.”