COLNE boss John Lister is relying on his forwards to come good tomorrow - while he worries about his defence.

The Holt House strikeforce has proved quite prolific in NWCL Division Two with Paul Fildes, George Craddock and now Jonathan Irvine making an impression. But it is further back where he has the headaches.

"Gareth West and Richard Walton are suspended while Gavin Cooper is just a week away now with his knee injury," said Lister. "And my goalkeeper Ross Baxter has gone snowboarding!"

Andy Lawson (hamstring) will also face a late fitness test and Lister is debating whether to recall himself. "I went off last week against Squires Gate as I was having a nightmare. Their forward was a bit too quick for me!"

Tomorrow's game is against fourth placed Stone Dominoes at Holt House and Lister is hopeful of getting something out of it.

"They aren't a bad side. We played them early in the season and they ran rings around us and we lost 2-0.

"But they tend to falter when the pitches get heavy. They did last season so they won't relish coming here."

After being the top team in the local area in Division Two for a while, Darwen are now their main threat. They have gone above Colne into seventh place.

"We have done what we set out to do - finish in mid-table - in fact we have done better than that. We want to finish as the top dogs in Lancashire now."