Pitch inspection

Why should I watch..?

To see if 1874 Northwich can pick up where they left off last Tuesday in their North West Counties League campaign.

A side managed by Paul Bowyer and Wayne Goodison has risen to ninth in the table following a sequence of eight successive wins, although they will be wary of the threat posed by Congleton.

They needed two cracks at the Bears before eliminating them from the FA Vase after a replay back in September, and were held to a draw at St Luke’s Barton Stadium when the teams shared four goals in a Premier Division fixture a fortnight later.

Brian Pritchard’s men have endured a disappointing start to 2018 after winning only one of their six matches, and lost 5-1 at Bootle last Saturday.

They went down 2-1 at home to City of Liverpool at Booth Street last Tuesday.

What they’ve said

“The players have said they want to regain focus quickly on the next game, and I think they will.

“The momentum we have can carry us along from here, although we can expect a really tough game at Congleton.

“We’ve moved up the table a little bit in the past couple of weeks, and our target now is to make up more ground in the next fortnight if we can.”

Wayne Goodison, 1874 Northwich co-manager

Numbers game

1874 Northwich have won their past eight matches in the North West Counties League’s top-flight

Man to keep an eye on

Shelton Payne

The attacker made an impact as a substitute during Saturday’s success against Chichester – his first appearance since returning to 1874 Northwich for a second spell.

With Taylor Kennerley likely to be ruled out by an injury sustained at the weekend, the ex-Trafford man may have a chance to impress on the left of the visitors’ front-line.

1874 team news

Taylor Kennerley (foot) is unlikely to be risked after sustaining an injury during last Saturday’s FA Vase success against Chichester.

Sam Hind (hip) is a doubt too, but front man Kyle Riley is available again after completing a suspension.

Danny Thomas and Ben Woods are available for selection too after sitting out at the weekend.

Form guide (past six in league)

Congleton L L W D L D

1874 W W W W W W

Most recent meetings

1874 2-2 Congleton (NWCFL Premier Division, October 10 2017)

Congleton 0-1 1874 (FA Vase second qualifying round replay, September 26 2017)

1874 1-1 Congleton (FA Vase second qualifying round, September 24 2017)

Essential information

When Tuesday, February 6

Kick-off 7.45pm

Address Richborough Estates Stadium, Ivy Gardens, Booth Street, off Crescent Road, Congleton CW12 4DG

Admission Adults £6, Concessions £3, Accompanied under 12s Free

Parking Available on Booth Street next to Congleton Cricket Club