DARWEN manager Steve Wilkes has signed a new goalkeeper.

Former Clitheroe, Great Harwood and Bamber Bridge keeper Lee Greenacre will make his debut tomorrow at Maine Road in the place of the long-standing Lee Purvis, who sits the game out due to a series of mistakes over the past few weeks.

"It is the hardest decision I have had to make as a manager," said Wilkes. "Lee Purvis played 198 consecutive matches for me. He is loyal, he travels from Wigan adn never misses a training session but he has made too many mistakes in recent weeks and of any other player had made mistakes like that I would have had to drop them.

"He is not leaving, he'll be there tomorrow and I hope he'll stay and fight for his place.

"If I hadn't done it I wouldn't have been doing my job as a manager.

"If Lee does the business he stays in."

Darwen travel to second-in-the-table Maine Road having won just one of the last five games.

"We need to win to stay up there," said Wilkes. "If we are to get promoted we need to beat these teams because it is a six-point swing."