ATHERTON LR registered a first Unibond Division One league win of the season in the home 1-0 victory over Workington on Tuesday and will be looking to build on that in the trip to Curzon Ashton.
The three points lifted LR off the bottom of the table while tomorrow's opponents are at the opposite end in second place behind Lincoln United.
The game will provide an interesting FA Cup pointer as the two clash again next weekend in the second qualifying round at Crilly Park.
Mark Stewart will be available to start his first Saturday game for LR as the local cricket season is now completed. His stunning form in midweek games has made a big difference to Dave Morris' side. Central defender Dave Channon, the eve of season signing from Radcliffe Boro, misses the game as he serves the last of a three-match suspension.
RADCLIFFE BORO, with four straight wins and three consecutive clean sheets, travel to Netherfield with every justification for believing both those runs could be extended.
The Lakeside club has struggled at the start of the season with just one win in six games. Boro on the other hand have been playing some scintillating stuff with the disappointing exception of last weekend's 2-0 home defeat in the FA Cup by Marine.
Manager Kevin Glendon now has a large squad at his disposal with quality competition for every position. That is without taking into the reckoning striker Peter McRae, who has suffered a setback in his fight to gain full fitness after a bad ankle injury, and Andy Brown who was surprised when x-rays revealed the bad bruising to his arm was in fact a broken bone. Tough test for injury-hit Colls AFTER Tuesday's tough away trip to Nantwich Town in which ATHERTON COLLS earned a highly creditable 1-1 draw, Steve Walton and Ian Lamb's side must travel to another top pre-season title favourite tomorrow in Burscough.
"We're almost counting the wounded!" said Walton. "The Nantwich game saw Graham Dodd pull his hamstring and he could be the most serious absentee.
"Steve Wallace and Tony Pemberton both came off with groin strains but could be fit for tomorrow. Pembie was absolutely brilliant the other night and he reckons the injury is a legacy of two operations he's already had for the groin problem but which is aggravated by the hard pitches.
"We are also trying to sign a keeper as cover, as Keith Schofield is getting married and will be off on honeymoon for two weeks." Scott Dowd and Mike Lewis will come into contention for tomorrow. DAISY HILL travel to Squires Gate in the Challenge Cup preliminary round with manager Jimmy Hulton hoping to have several recent absentees back in contention.
Darren Calderbank, Phil Donlan and Gary Crosby have served suspensions, Gary Cunliffe looks like being fit again after injury and Gareth Webster could be back after being sidelined with family commitments. TOMORROW'S FIXTURES UNIBOND Division 1: Curzon Ashton v ATHERTON LR, LEIGH RMI v Stocksbridge Park Steels, Netherfield v RADCLIFFE BORO.
NWCL Division 1: Burscough v ATHERTON COLLS. Challenge Cup Preliminary Round: DAISY HILL v Squires Gate.
Manchester League (ko 2.30pm) Premier Division: BICC v ATHERTON TOWN; Abbey Hey v LITTLE HULTON UTD.
West Lancs League Division 1: Springfields v BLACKROD TOWN; Lancashire Constabulary v EAGLEY; Leyland Motors v TURTON; Poulton Town v TEMPEST UTD.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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