DEREK Egan's confidence in his Ramsbottom United squad grew thanks to their midweek Lancashire FA Trophy win over Squires Gate.

Egan used the competition as an opportunity to rest some key players and test others in different positions - and they didn't disappoint.

"It looked quite tight with us winning on penalties in the end, but I actually thought we were by far the better side," he said.

"There were a lot of positives on the night because I made several changes to rest players and give others games.

"I saw Matty Heywood play at centre half for the first time, Matthew Walsh made his debut after coming to us with an injury a couple of weeks ago, Todd Heys played his first game and I played Liam Denning wide right instead of central midfield.

"So should I need to do certain things in the future and change things round, I'll be able to do it with confidence now."

But Ramsbottom will be back in the old routine when they return to league action with a trip to Stone Dominoes tomorrow.

"It will be the lads who have been doing well in the league and hopefully they will continue to do well tomorrow," Egan said. "We are back to what we consider to be our main objective."

Chris McKay missed Tuesday's game but is hoping to be fit for tomorrow's trip.