Moore has selection issues as Hebburn Town prepare for Lancaster City test

Hebburn Town manager Daniel Moore has confirmed he is without a number of key players ahead of their trip to Northern Premier League Premier Division rivals Lancaster City.

The Hornets will return to league action for the first time since their midweek Durham Challenge Cup semi-final defeat against Shildon when they visit the Giant Axe on Saturday as they look to become only the third side to beat the Dolly Blues on home soil this season. Moore’s men can boost their play-off hopes by collecting all three points - but the Hebburn boss has stressed his side will be up against it with five key players ruled out of the action.

He told The Gazette: “Lancaster have drawn a lot of games but they don’t get beat very often. There aren’t many teams go there and win so it’s another difficult game - but aren’t they all? With the injuries we have, I’d imagine it will be a backs to the wall performance and I would imagine we will play in a different way to how we have in the last few weeks.

Moore admitted his players have lessons to learn from missing out on a place in the Durham Challenge Cup Final after they suffered a 4-1 defeat against his former club Shildon on Tuesday. Despite taking a lead with an early strike from Amar Purewal, own-goals from Jack Donaghy and Michael Turner and regular strikes from Nathan Greenwood and Billy Greulich-Smith left Moore to urge his players to produce a more solid display to boost their play-off push this weekend.

“Shildon gave everything they’ve got in the game and they got a goal just before half-time, that gave them a lift and we just weren’t great in the second-half. We created a lot of our own problems so we have to learn from that and look to keep a clean sheet first and foremost at Lancaster.”

Moore will be without injured quartet Joe Walton, Aidan Heywood, Arron Thompson and Liam Noble and his selection issues are further heightened by the fact defender Matty Elsdon is serving a suspension.