Windscale face a tough test at Wearside League title favourites Seaton Carew tomorrow, especially after being hit by non-availabilities.
Atoms manager Stephen Fawcett faces the prospect of travelling to the North East, unable to fill a full bench of substitutes.
“It’s a long time since that happened but we do have an unusually large number of players who can’t travel this week,” said Fawcett.
It’s especially unfortunate as Windscale put up a really good performance at Seaton Carew two weeks ago in the Shipowners Cup before going down.
Key midfielder Reece Fretwell had to come off before half-time in last week’s league loss to Brandon with a hamstring injury and misses out.
Also out with a hamstring problem picked up in training this week is Aiden Kegg while Kieran Lawson has a back injury.
Ryan Fitzwilliam, Lewis Selkirk and Joe Atkinson are all at work while Ray Sempill is away.
“We’ll probably have two subs at best but may be able to take a reserve player if they have a surplus,” says Fawcett.
In the West Lancashire League Cleator Moor Celtic and Whitehaven both have away fixtures in the Premier Division.
Celtic travel to Coppull United but will be without Aiden Howarth who suffered a bad groin strain in training on Thursday.
Skipper Callum Jackman is also an absentee but the return of experienced Rhys Little will be a boost.
“We’re taking a decent squad of 16 and I’m hoping we can end this bad little run we’ve been on,” said manager Gareth Agnew.
Whitehaven travel to Astley and Buckshaw United who came up from Division One last season.
That’s where Whitehaven are heading next season but manager Brian Dawson wants them to go down with heads held high with some good performances before the campaign ends.
After last week’s 7-0 defeat at Lostock St Gerard’s Dawson said: “It’s the same again as we will travel with a young squad but hopefully we can have a better outcome than last week.”
Millom are seventh in the table and they travel to Hurst Green who are one place and four points better off, yet both have won 10 games – and the south Cumbrians have a match in hand.
Milnthorpe Corinthians have a Westmorland Senior Cup semi-final at Kirby Stephen.
In the North West Counties League Division One North Holker Old Boys had an important 3-1 home win last night over Maghull as they catch up on postponed fixtures.
They led 2-0 at half-time with goals from Tyler Wood (27) and Tyler Spence (40) before Jacob Till pulled one back for the visitors after 66 minutes. Farryl Foster (85) made the game safe for Holker.
They are tenth but still with enough matches in hand to potentially reach the play-offs and will be hoping to bring back three points tomorrow when they visit bottom of the table Maine Road.
