The Blues hit the road for the first time in over a month when they head to Merseyside to face Marine in the opening round of the Integro League Cup on Tuesday night.

Clitheroe’s last away trip saw them win at Pickering in early October – since when they’ve been racking up the victories at Shawbridge.

Phil Brown’s men had won five of their last six home games and three in a row before going out of the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy to Atherton Collieries last Wednesday night.

And after a weekend off from league action, Brown will be looking to avoid another cup exit against a Marine side just a point behind the third-placed Blues in BetVictor North-West, with just one defeat from seven home league games.

“It will be a tough game and I’ve got to juggle a couple of things around,” said the Blues’ boss.

“There might be a chance for one or two and I’ll be looking for them to take it.

“I want a bit of a response from last week’s game against Atherton when I thought too many were just off it.

“It would be nice to have a bit of a run in the competition and we’ll be going there to give it a go.”