COLWYN Bay manager Craig Hogg is looking forward to seeing his side back on the pitch when they travel to Buckley Town in the Nathaniel MG Cup this weekend.

The Seagulls’ have been impacted more than most by the recent lack of clarity from the Welsh Government and Football Association of Wales regarding a possible return to league action, which has seen many senior first-team players move elsewhere for competitive football.

This has left Hogg with a depleted squad that he is keen to reinforce during the January transfer window, but he will get a good look as those remaining during their first taste of meaningful action since the FAW curtailed the season back in March.

Hogg, said: “More than anything I'm just really looking forward to seeing the lads back out on the pitch and we will be counting down the days.

"The game itself will actually be our first non-in-house 11 vs 11 since March and that in itself sounds bizarre when we are now in December.

“For a number of reasons we haven't been able to play a friendly game, which isn't ideal going into a cup competition, but we will be looking at the tie as part of our prep work before the season starts properly for us at some point in January.

"The Buckley game will be a good opportunity to give the first team and U19 players some real competitive minutes against a good side which is always beneficial.

"That aside it is also a game of football we want to try and win. We know it is a big task ahead, of course, but make no mistake we will all be giving everything we can to try and progress through to the next round in February."

Despite losing the likes of skipper Tom McCready, Alex Downes and striker Mitch Bryant, Hogg still has plenty of quality at his disposal that should ensure they can hit the ground running both at Buckley and when the second-tier campaign gets underway in the New Year.