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Priestly to answer United's call

Veteran goalkeeper Phil Priestly is set to return to the club once again to cover for the injured Sam Ashton in a FC United side that should be boosted by the return of captain David Chadwick and striker Stuart Rudd for Saturday’s crunch clash against Skelmersdale United.

Former Bangor stalwart, Priestly is being drafted in for his third term at the Reds to fill in for the young shot stopper who dislocated his hand during Wednesday night’s friendly with Flixton. Despite that setback United are hoping to be able to welcome back the experienced duo of Chadwick and Rudd.

Manager Karl Marginson knows that losing Ashton is a blow but he was keen to focus on the positives going into the big match. He said: "Stuart got 48 goals for us last year and has been a big miss. Having him back is like a big money signing.

"The lads who came in for him and Dave have been amazing, but one thing we lost with those two was experience. A lot of young lads came in and had to learn what this club was all about."

After seeing their last three matches postponed, Marginson says his players are desperate to resume their title challenge: "It’s been frustrating but hopefully they will have that added hunger. You can see in training how much they want to get back out there because they know they’ve got a chance of winning the league.

And Margy added: "One of the bonuses about not playing is the fact that no one has stretched too far clear of us. We’ve been in great form and if we keep on going the way we are, I’m confident we can mount another title challenge."



First Posted ~ 00:43 Fri 15 Feb 2008
News ID ~ 1486
Last Updated ~ 01:52 Tue 16 Feb 2021