BRIAN Dawson will hope Holker Old Boys can arrest their recent dip in form when they make the long trip to Oswestry Town tomorrow.

Holker have suffered back-to-back 3-1 defeats in North West Counties Division One, against Cheadle Town and Preswich Heys in recent weeks, results which have seen them slip down to 16th in the table.

Although they are in no danger of being dragged into a basement battle, manager Dawson will undoubtedly be keen to get back to winning ways, particularly after his side let a 1-0 lead – Mike Rushton the man on target – against Prestwich slip last Saturday at Rakesmoor Lane.

They make the near-300-mile round-trip to Shropshire tomorrow to face an Oswestry outfit looking to halt their own losing run, with last weekend's 5-0 defeat to play-off hopefuls Widnes making it three defeats on the spin.

Those matches, which include loses to leaders Litherland REMYCA (5-0) and Chadderton (4-2), have seen them concede 13 goals as well.

So a win would be the perfect way for Dawson's side to begin a busy seven-day period, with Holker heading to Prestwich for the return fixture on Wednesday and hosting Widnes a week tomorrow.

Crooklands Casuals face a tough test in the West Lancashire League Premier Division when they host title hopefuls Blackpool Wren Rovers, whose only league defeat on the road this season was the 2-1 loss at table-toppers Longridge Town way back on August 20.

Vickerstown make the trip to fellow mid-table side Turton and the day's Division One action sees GSK Ulverston Rangers going for their second win of the season when they should welcome another of the division's strugglers in Ladybridge.

Ulverston were denied the chance to make it back-to-back victories last week when their encounter with Mill Hill St Peter was postponed with the Glaxo sports facilities shut down due to issues with the fire alarm system.

Dalton United face the unenviable task of a trip to league leaders Poulton as they look for vital points in the relegation battle.

There is a derby encounter to look forward to in Division Two as Swarthmoor host Furness Rovers, while Walney Island and Millom are at home to Burscough Richmond reserves and Fulwood Amateurs reserves respectively, and Furness Cavaliers head to Blackpool Wren Rovers reserves.

The pick of the day's action in the Riflemans Grange Furness Premier Division sees leaders Hawcoat Park reserves host second-placed Barrow Celtic, while the bottom two also clash, when Furness Rovers reserves welcome Furness Cavaliers reserves.