Dalton take on holders Millom at Kelland Park (2pm kick-off) in the quarter finals of the Barton Townley Cup tomorrow.

However, the North West Men’s Leagues newcomers go into battle minus the Crarey boys, Joe and Jack, along with Eddie Tyson and Harri Brown.

Joe damaged his wrist while playing for Barrow Raiders in a pre-season friendly while Jack is unavailable. Despite these setbacks, coach Dave High is confident his young troops can pull off a win over the Conference side.

He said “We are pretty confident of getting a result on our own pitch,conditions could be heavy and it could be played down the middle but I feel we can get through.

“We had a good run-out against Heysham two weeks ago and several of the younger lads were blooded and they did alright. We have good numbers at training, it’s looking healthy and we are hopeful of putting two teams out this season.

“Ryan Baines, our skipper, will lead the lads around the park and we also have Scott Paisley back with us. We are a young side looking forward to returning to the NWML and this set of lads will really mature in a couple of years.”

Defending their trophy, the Woolybacks won’t take the oppostition lightly.

Coach Tom Sibley said: “Dalton are a good young side and they will be up for it, but we want to retain the trophy so we are looking forward to what should be a difficult game. They know their pitch inside out and it could be heavy so we are prepared for whatever the conditions are.”

Youngsters are pushing for places this season, including the likes of Rio McQuiston, Jack Newbiggin, Dan Hartley and Astin Mossop, who played on several occasions last year.

Gareth Knowles returns from the wilderness for Ulverston who take on Roose Pioneers at Dragley Beck and Coach Dennis Porter is looking for another good run in the competition after his side lost out to Millom in last year’s final.

The Ulverston stalwart said: “I’,s good to have Knowles back, he is a good lad and has worked hard in training. We are running an under-18s side this year, so we will look to our more senior players to get us through the season.

“Millom were red hot on the night last year and we learned a lot from that game.”

Pioneers welcome back playmaker Adam Batty following almost 18 months on the sidelines with a thumb injury.

Craig Deakin also returns for the Redwaters side, who are now under a new coaching staff of Jordan Herdman, Glen Phillips and Gary James.

Herdman said: “When Mike Backhouse and his staff stepped down at the end of last year, we put our hands up to take over. We saw they did a good job last year and it would have been a shame to let that go. It’s a new challenge for the three of us.”

Returning to add their experience are Dan and Ade While while also back after several years out is Troy Marks.