FC UNITED take on fellow title contenders Curzon Ashton at Gigg Lane in the glamour fixture of the day.

Curzon are on an amazing run of form that has seen them win 11 out of their last 12 games and remain unbeaten in all competitions since October 23, making it one of United's biggest games of the season.

Fourth-placed Curzon have the two highest-scoring players in the league in their ranks in Michael Norton and Steven Moore. The prolific front pair have scored 67 goals this season between them and United assistant manager Phil Power knows his defence will have to be on their toes for the confrontation.

"We know their front pair will be a real threat, and it could be a high-scoring game," he said.

"But, we will just try and score more than them. We beat them 3-1 earlier in the season, but their form has picked up since then and they are playing quite well.

"They are up there in the table, and we would like to beat them. We look like we have got over our little hiccup now, and we played very well at the weekend."

Two goals from Dave Swarbrick and one from Stuart Rudd beat Atherton Colls 3-0 away last Saturday and put to bed a ghost from earlier in the season when Colls beat Karl Marginson's side 3-0.

Colls would have become the first team to do the double over FC, but victory means United evaded that scenario - and went back to the top of the table.

Atherton Collieries' programme has been disrupted by postponements which means their 3-0 win at Gigg Lane was their last victory. They go to Stone Dominoes hoping the game can be played and that they can get maximum points.

Atherton LR are at home to Nelson, the same team they first played in their first league match 50 years ago almost to the day. They are looking for their first victory since beating Dominoes 4-2 on December 2.

Their programme has also been hit by the weather and coach Tim Lees is keeping his fingers crossed that the drainage system installed at Crilly Park three years ago does its job.

Lees is without right winger Tyrone Wade who has moved to rival club Flixton, but is hoping second-top scorer Rick Arnold will be able to return after an ankle injury.

In Division Two, manager Daisy Hill Tommy Moore is keeping faith with his youngsters who are currently propping up the table for their home game against Eccleshall.

He said: "Things are not good at the moment because we're down at the bottom of the league.

"We've been unlucky in the that we've been playing well, but we have a young side and the lads have not been getting the breaks and they've been making mistakes in defence and not taking their chances."

Moore, who brought his side up as a youth team, believes the side whose average age is just 18, have a chance of doing well in Division Two within the next two years.

"We can't be relegated so it's a question of us sticking together and believing that we'll come through."