The push for the NPL East playoffs continues for the Miners as they travel to Bishop Auckland. A close-fought encounter in the reverse fixture led to a 1-1 draw at the Bannister Prentice Stadium back in October: a Matt Savage opener off the post was cancelled out by a strike from Cyril Giraud, who has since departed the Bishops.

Saturday's opponents currently are 12th in the division compared to Garforth in 7th, with eight points separating the sides. Confidence in the Auckland camp should be flying high after beating fifth-placed Dunston UTS 4-3 in what was a dramatic and nail-biting affair. Club top scorer Louis Johnson buried the first goal of the game and notched his total up to 11 in the league.

Following the match, Bishop manager Leon Carling revealed that key defenders Jack Vaulks and Dane Burlace, who was awarded Auckland's Player of the Month for January, will be absent for the Miners clash. However, Carling insisted that the situation "gives an opportunity for people to come in and impress".

To combat the long-term absence of full-back Burlace, the club have extended the loan of defender Jonny Haase from Darlington until the start of March and will likely start on Saturday.

Returning to the Miners, a 0-0 tie last weekend against Heaton Stannington means Town's unbeaten start to the year remains intact. The last few matches have sparked somewhat of an injury crisis for Garforth as Max Tweddle and Matt Antcliff have both suffered hamstring problems, in addition to the extended absence of Jamie Barkway.

Speaking after the Heaton game, manager Paul Marshall expressed his disappointment of having three mainstays out of selection but also was determined that the squad "will give it their all" on Saturday. The excellent Man of the Match performance by Steven Jeff at left-back against the Stan was a promising sign that players brought into the starting eleven can deliver good performances and contribute much to the side.

An easy game by no means awaits the Miners at the VEST Construction Stadium, yet the spirited squad of Town are certainly capable of taking points back from the north-east to put pressure on the teams above them.