Daisy Hill will be back in action in the North West Counties League First Division tomorrow, when they make the trip across the Pennines to face Keighley-based Route One Rovers (3pm).

It’s Daisy’s first league outing for a fortnight, with the previous two scheduled league fixtures - at home to AFC Blackpool and Ashton Athletic - being postponed due to the weather.

But despite the down time in the league, manager Lee Hill has ensured the squad has been kept active.

An Atherton Charity Cup tie against Golborne Sports last Monday evening followed a team bonding session held last Saturday, when the entire squad got together to walk up to Rivington Pike, which as Hill revealed, was a trip suggested by club captain Jake O’Brien.

“I asked Jake what he would like to do, because once we knew the game was off, I was keen to avoid doing nothing, and he suggested a walk up to Rivington,” said Hill.

“He’s a great captain, always forthcoming with ideas, and it was a great day out.

“We all got coffees and hot chocolate before we set off, there were a few snowball fights on the way up, too, and everyone enjoyed the day.”

Looking ahead to this weekend’s game, Hill is looking forward to facing their Yorkshire opponents, who have been well placed in the promotion chase all season, and the Daisy boss believes having the game played on the Marley Stadium’s 4G surface will suit his side.

”We like to play good football, but obviously winter weather causes havoc with grass pitches at times, and can dictate your style of play,” said Hill.

“It’s been a tough few weeks for everyone with the weather, but it’s nice to be looking ahead and saying we will almost definitely be playing this weekend, and hopefully we can get the ball down and do what we look to do with a bit more purpose.

“Route One Rovers are a good side, and although they have a had a few defeats recently, anyone can have a minor blip and we won’t draw any conclusions from that.

“The league table doesn’t lie, they are up there because they are a good side. They are effective and play good football.

“They also have the league’s top goalscorer, Zakariyah Khan, who has 25 goals in 24 games, and we know all about him, as he scored the only goal of the game when they beat us at our place.

“We know it’s going to be a tough challenge for us, but we have prepared well this week and are ready for it.”