Paddock travel to Wood Lane Marple this weekend as they face off against their toughest opponents so far in the Rhodes Cup – Mellor Firsts. A win would see Paddock progress into the semi-finals and eliminate one of, if not their biggest competition for the trophy. After three wins and three clean sheets in a row, the team is on a real high and will fancy their chances of facing up to the task.

Howson knows this will be a great test for the players, but believes they can do the job: “I think this is one of the absolute biggest tests we could’ve come up against, I think I’d firmly put Paddock as the underdog in this fixture and that’s the first time I’ve said that in a while. We’re coming up against a team that had a flawless record in the league. Last weekend they won 8-0, they’ve had a very, very strong season to date and I think they have to be considered favourites not just for our game but favourites for the cup in total.