Bamber Bridge bidding to reach semi-finals again in Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy

Brig won 6-3 against Nelson in the last round at the Sir Tom Finney Stadium last Tuesday.

Gary Pett scored a hat-trick in that game, with Chris Marlow adding two and Matt Dudley opening the scoring with a well-struck free-kick.

The result came four days after a highly impressive 3-0 victory over Morpeth Town in the NPL Premier Division, thanks to two goals from Dudley and a late strike from James Dean.

Striker Dean returned to the starting line-up for Saturday’s 4-1 league defeat at Atherton Collieries, with Pett in contention to continue his run of starts in this competition after coming off the bench and scoring Brig’s consolation on Saturday.

Goalkeeper Mike Hale could make his second appearance since rejoining the club at the start of November.

And full-back Callum Spooner, who performed admirably at a new position of centre-back in the last round, could also return to the heart of defence tonight.

Opponents Wythenshawe currently sit 14th in the North West Counties Football League Division One South.

They have won three of their last six games under manager Michael Ivison, who was appointed at the end of October after the resignation of Shane Goldrick.

A win for Joey Collins’s Brig side tonight would see them match last season’s achievement of reaching the semi-finals.

They were eventually defeated 2-1 by Colne at Lancashire FA’s County Ground, with a repeat of that clash potentially on the cards.