Livid Jarrow Roofing boss wants players to grasp opportunity against Whickham

The Roofing boss will be without several key players for the second round clash, with Kieran Graham, Adam Smith, Chris Winn and Ross Toward all cup-tied – meaning the rest of the squad will get a chance to impress.

The Roofers stretched their winless run in the league to five games at the weekend as they suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of relegation-threatened West Allotment Celtic.

After the match, a despondent McLoughlin was livid with the performance on the pitch, and he admits that his players will now have to battle to keep hold of their shirts.

“We’re going to have to change the team around a little bit because we’ve got a few players cup- tied, so it’s going to be a difficult one for us,” he said.

“However, it also means that players will be playing for their places, so I expect them to take this opportunity and show what they can do to right the wrongs of the weekend.”

The South Tynesiders needed a penalty shootout to get past Easington Colliery in the first round while Division Two side Whickham, received a Bye. The visitors have enjoyed a strong start to the season and currently sit in eighth position in their division.

“Whickham will not come here just to make up the numbers,” McLoughlin added. “They will be looking to win and make things difficult for us. No second division sides are easy sides to play against, so we’ll have to see whether our players can rise to the challenge.”