FOOTBALL: Atherton Collieries will have a new manager in place when they take on UniBond Division One North side Radcliffe Borough in the FA Cup preliminary round at Alder House tomorrow, kick off 3pm.

The struggling Vodkat NW Counties Division One club have appointed Steve Pilling, former joint-manager at Ashton Athletic, after parting company with player-manager Dave Conlon, who left the club after Monday’s home defeat by local rivals Daisy Hill.

Pilling has already boosted the Colls squad with the addition of a number of new players who should be eligible to play in the FA Cup tie.

Radcliffe director of football Gerry Luczka is looking forward to the game, and said: “It’s crucial to the success of our season that we at least get two or three wins in the FA Cup.

“At the of the day our business is winning games of football. We are not in a position where we can pick and choose what we win and what we don’t win.

“What is put in front of us, we’ve got to do our best to make sure we get a result. We owe it to our fans.”

Atherton LR also play host to UniBond opposition in the form of Prescot Cables.

Rovers have struggled so far to hit the level of form they produced in the NW Counties Premier Division last season but kicked off their FA Cup campaign with a dramatic replay victory over Bacup Borough in the last round and, although underdogs at Crilly Park tomorrow (kick off 3pm), they will be hoping for a cup boost.

Daisy Hill, who have made an impressive start in Division One of the NW Counties League, will look to improve on their current position of fourth in the table when they travel to Ashton Town.

Meanwhile, Daisy Hill are planning for a bumper crowd when they host their NW Counties game against well-supported AFC Liverpool next Saturday, September 5.

The New Sirs club are laying on post-match food and entertainment, including appearances by the “Daisy Hill Babes” to add the feminine touch to the non-league scene.

Admission for the day is £5 for adults, £2 concessions.

Daisy Hill are also offering a local business the chance to sponsor the event.