MATTHEW Beadle is ready to return for 1874 Northwich this weekend after injury prevented him from playing for the past two months.

The front man has been a hit at Barton Stadium this season, scoring 21 goals in all competitions following a switch from league rivals Maine Road last summer.

He has not featured since a 5-0 win at Stockport Sports on December 2, suffering first a groin problem before hurting a knee during a training session.

Manager Ian Street plans to use the striker for at least part of tomorrow’s encounter with Silsden at Barton Stadium.

“He says he feels good,” said the 1874 boss.

“I wanted to put him on last weekend, but it’s never an exact science to predict these things. Circumstances in the game [at Ashton] meant it didn’t happen in the end.

“It feels as though we’ve been a long time without him, and it’s stalled the momentum he had a bit.”

Street, whose place in dugout until at least the end of next season was confirmed by the club’s board this week, has started to reduce a squad he says grew too big in recent weeks.

Steve Foster and Kevin McGrath have left to join Radcliffe Borough, while attacking duo Daley Woods and Dave Short have been told they are free to find playing time elsewhere.

Former Chester youth team midfielder Jack Hankey was an unused substituted for last Saturday’s draw at Ashton Athletic, while Street hopes to have registered another player – a winger – in time for kick off on Saturday.

Silsden arrive in Winsford placed sixth in the North West Counties League top flight, three points adrift of their hosts this weekend.

They have lost only one of their past seven Premier Division fixtures, winning five.

Street said: “I expect a difficult game.

“They’re an organised team who like to hit teams on the break, which is something we need to be aware of.

“Theirs is a bunch of lads who work well together, and they made it tough for us at their place earlier in the season.

“I think we’ve put behind us that run of poor results, and we seem to be feeling much more like ourselves again.

“It would be nice to go on another long run, but we’ve so many games left to play that it’s probably best we worry about one at a time.

“If we can cut the gap to the teams ahead of us, then great, but we’re not setting out too much of a stall by that.”