DAVE Twite has also been looking at Stoke City's outgoings in an attempt to boost his Middlewich Town squad.

Dave Watson, a Winsford-based midfielder, was released from the Britannia Stadium last season and has since been playing Sunday league football.

He will be training at Seddon Street this week with a view to signing on.

Middlewich are still fourth in Mid-Cheshire League Division One after drawing 2-2 with leaders Barnton on Saturday.

Twite was always going to use this fixture to assess how his side have improved, and after taking four points off them, he's in no doubt.

"We've come a long way down the road when you look at last year," said Twite. "We lost 4-0, 4-1 and 5-0 to them then.

"I spoke to their manager after the game and he felt they were lucky to get a point.

"We're up there and pushing, but there's still five or six teams in it."

A measure of Twite's confidence at the moment is that when John Lewis and Ian Tier were sent off against Barnton, he brought on another striker and pushed three men up front!

He said: "We were the far better team in the second half so I decided to put more strikers on and go for the win."

John Lewis is away and will be the only man missing from the settled 20-man squad.

Middlewich are at home to bottom-placed Pilkington, who are without a win, this Saturday (3pm).

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