Ferryhill Athletic manager Mark Fanning is hoping his side's five-goals performance last weekend will lead to more victories.

Previously, the team had won just once in 16 outings and only a fortnight ago Fanning had to play because the club was so short of players.

"I had no fewer than 15 players unavailable but last Saturday at Washington Nissan UK I was able to name five on the bench. It just goes to show how things can change very quickly and of course so did our form.

"The win put us into the quarter-finals of the Sunderland Shipowners' Cup. It was only our second victory of the season but we achieved it in style and there is no reason why it should not be the impetus for a lift-off in our form," enthused Fanning.

"One of the big advantages of having 16 players named was that I was able to use substitutes in extra time. The side was not weakened and indeed we scored three goals and prevented our opponents from scoring. Two weeks ago, the side which started would have had to play for two hours and that would not have been good."

Ferryhill have a young side and Fanning reckons that if he is short of anything it is a bit of experience to help the youngsters along but he is now upbeat about the club's prospects.

"It was vital to get a good result and an encouraging performance under our belts. We had been going along losing by the only goal until recently when we suffered a few heavy defeats so to put five goals in last Saturday was the ideal tonic.

"We have now regrouped, are free from injuries and suspensions and our aim has got to be to get off the bottom. We are just two points adrift of Windscale having played the same number of matches and with more than half the season still to play we are within reach of Washington Nissan UK, Barnard Castle Glaxo and Annfield Plain," Fanning added.

Ferryhill travel to Windscale in the quarter finals of the Sunderland Shipowners' Cup and Fanning reckons that the long trip will be good for the club.

"It gives us a chance to bond as a team and if we come away with a good result and reach the semi finals, we will all have had a great day," enthused the manager.

Tomorrow's fixtures (2pm): Annfield Plain v Jarrow, Birtley Town v Darlington RA, Cleadon SC v Barnard Castle Glaxo, Ferryhill Athletic v Whitehaven, New Marske v Gateshead Reserves, North Shields v Wolviston, Ryhope CW v Boldon CA, Stokesley SC v Washington Nissan UK, Windscale v Harton and Westoe.