In-form Ravens braced for challenge against rejuvenated Longridge Town

Just three points separate both sides heading into the weekend

FC Isle of Man will be hoping to pounce on the chance to continue their recent upturn in form when they face Longridge Town at The Bowl in the NWCFL Premier Division tomorrow night (18 March).

The Ravens have lost only once in their last five outings and earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw away to promotion-chasing Northwich Victoria last Sunday.

They'll come up against a confident Longridge Town outfit who have only one defeat in their last seven, with three victories in that period.

FC Isle of Man interim manager, Paul Jones, says Longridge Town will pose as big a challenge as any other side given their recent boost in results:

FC Isle of Man's draw at Wincham Park last Sunday sees the Manx side sit 20th in the league standings but with a ten-point gap to Burscough in the relegation zone below.

Furthermore, the Ravens go into this weekend's contest as one of the in-form sides in the division with three wins, one draw and two defeats from their last six outings.

Defensive resilience also remains a key factor in recent weeks - FC Isle of Man have conceded just three times in their last five matches, compared to 16 in the five before that.

But they'll be wary of their visitors, Longridge Town, this weekend who also find themselves in a much better vein of form.

As well as just the one defeat in their last seven, they've posted back-to-back wins in their last two - first with a 4-2 home victory against Irlam last Saturday (11 March) before an impressive late comeback at Northwich Victoria on Wednesday night (15 March) with two goals in the last ten minutes to snatch the contest 2-1.

FC Isle of Man vs Longridge Town kicks-off at The Bowl this Saturday, 18 March, at 6pm.

Manx Radio will be providing full live match commentary on our AM1368 and Digital platforms

FC Isle of Man team news

The 14 players that made up the squad in the draw against Northwich Victoria last week are unchanged, with two names coming back in this week to make up a squad of 16.

Coming back in for Paul Jones' side are Ryan Burns who provides another option in the defensive line, whilst the pacey Dean Leece also returns to offer extra choice to the midfield and attacking areas.

After some heroics between the sticks last week, Dean Kearns is set to make his third consecutive start at no.1, whilst defender Alex Maitland looks poised to make a milestone 30th appearance of the season this weekend.

FC Isle of Man squad vs Longridge Town

Dean Kearns, Ryan Burns, Karl Clark, Jacob Crook, Alex Maitland, Tom Shimmin, Charlie Higgins, Dean Leece, Jack McVey, Ronan McDonnell, Kyle Watson, Ste Whitley, Michael Williams, Furo Davies, Sean Doyle, Frank Jones