CRADLEY Town boss Nigel Birch has boosted his squad as he attempts to tackle the approaching fixture pile-up.

Birch has welcomed a host of new faces during the period when the weather caused havoc to the West Midlands Premier League fixture list.

Defender Jarek Cyran, striker Luke Farmer and midfielder Dominic Oliver all made their debuts in a 4-1 home win against Smethwick Rangers last Saturday. It was the first time Town had played for six weeks. “We looked fit and strong and now have good competition for places after we added some new players. They all did really well and we can now build on that,” said Birch.

Cradley now face an away trip to Ellesmere Rangers this weekend before taking on Willenhall away the weekend after.

“We are now facing a lot of games in a short amount of time. It is good to have the new players and the added competition for places it brings,” he added.

Town were due to face Shifnal at home in the league cup last night. Birch was set to make five or six changes to the side as competition for places hots up.

Amongst those set to make his debut was defender Matt Dudley.

Meanwhile, in the Midland Football Alliance, Causeway United put eight past Heath Hayes on Tuesday night to continue their promotion push.

Sam Rock bagged the fastest goal of the season, hitting the back of the net after just 16 seconds.

The 8-1 full-time scoreline did not reflect what was a competitive contest. Five of Causeway’s goals came in the final 10 minutes of the match.

They now face an away trip to Loughborough this Saturday as they look to continue their goal-scoring form.

Manager Andy Mole said: “We are on a great run of form and will look to continue. This season was all about building a team and we had targeted a top six finish. However, if we can carry on how we are, we may be able to finish in the top three.”