FC Isle of Man could enjoy a welcome boost ahead of a potentially pivotal weekend in the North West Counties Football League.
The Ravens lost 0-3 to leaders Vauxhall Motors at the Bowl last Saturday to leave themselves 17th in the table - out of 22 - only four points above the relegation zone.
The nascent club clinched promotion from First Division South last year and also won the Division One Challenge (Edward Case) Cup.
This season, Paul Jones’ men have played 27 games thus far - the joint highest in the division - and have 26 points to their name.
It’s been a challenging campaign for the Manx team, not least because of a plethora of injuries to star players and also a change in manager following the departure of Chris Bass Sr.
Most notably, last season’s golden boot winner Sean Doyle suffered a serious knee injury in the opening few days of the campaign and has since undergone a lengthy rehabilitation.
This has meant that interim manager Jones has blooded a host of younger players which should be a good thing long-term.
This weekend they host the team one place and one point below them in the league, Squires Gate, as they look to get back to winning ways following a run of three straight defeats.
The Ravens had been scheduled to face Squires in the reverse fixture a few weeks ago on January 11 but the match was called off because the hosts’ pitch at the Brian Addison Stadium was waterlogged.
Therefore, this weekend’s opponents are something of an unknown quantity ahead of the 6pm showdown at the Bowl on Saturday evening.
But Doyle has been back in action for Corinthians in the Premier League over the last couple of weekends and was on the scoresheet against DHSOB on Saturday to earn his place in Isle of Man Newspapers’ Team of the Week.
And he’s also been spotted back in training with the rest of the FC Isle of Man players earlier this week, sparking hopes that he could be involved in the matchday squad this Saturday.
His return would be a huge and welcome boost as the Ravens aim to kickstart their season in front of their own fans at the Bowl as they bid to move away from the relegation zone.
To buy tickets for this weekend’s game, head to https://fcisleofman.ticketco.events/uk