Antony Sweeney will lead a strong squad in to this evening'sDurham County Challenge Cup tie against Shildon at Dean Street (7.30pm kick-off).
The caretaker boss will be alongside Ian McGuckin in the dugout
for the tie and will use it as an opportunity to give some minutes to players on
the fringe of the First Team action.The likes of Adam Bale, Aaron Cunningham, Luke James, Jason
Kennedy, Kenton Richardson and Niko Muir are all set to play some part against
the Northern League Division One outfit.“With us not playing in a Reserve league, fixtures are few
and far between for the lads not in the First Team starting eleven,” explained
Sweeney.“So the game at Shildon is the perfect opportunity to get
them some minutes to keep them sharp because they will be needed in the coming
weeks – and when they are we want them to be ready.“It also gives us a chance to throw in a couple of our
younger players such as Coleby Shepherd and Harrison Webster and see how they
fare in a senior environment.”Shildon are the current holders of the Durham County
Challenge Cup after they beat South Shields in last year's Final at the Stadium
of Light so Sweeney is expecting a tough First Round tie tonight.“We know it will be tough because Shildon knocked us outlast season on their way to winning it,” he commented.
“We played them during pre-season and we've come up against
them a few times in recent years and they've always given us a good game so I
am sure this will be another competitive game.”Admission prices for the tie at Dean Street are £7 for adults, £5 for concessions, £2 for Under 16s and free for Under 5s.