FC UNITED are counting the cost of Tuesday night's defeat by Salford City as they head into tomorrow's FA Vase first round proper tie at Padiham.

The Rebels are likely to be without key defender Rob Nugent and striker Rory Patterson with knee injuries, both victims of Salford's determined approach to the game, and will also miss midfielder Will Ahern through suspension. Liam Coyne, Adie Orr and Simon Carden are expected to step in as replacements as Marginson

Manager Karl Marginson also believes that the defeat, which wrecked FC's bid to set a new North West Counties League record of 13 straight wins at the start of the season, will only serve to encourage second division opponents Padiham

FC twice beat the Lancashire side narrowly in last season's promotion campaign, and the Storks are this season undefeated at home, their only league defeat so far being to Runcorn Linnets.

But Marginson said: "Padiham will have been given heart from the defeat, because it took the 'invincibility' factor out of it. But it also takes a bit of pressure off us, and is a reminder that you have to be 100 per cent all the time.

"You have to give Salford loads of credit, but their two goals were down to mistakes by us. I learned a lot about different characters at the Willows, because we should have seen the game off at 1-0.

"We were trying to tell our lads about it but they couldn't hear us with all the crowd's banter.

Marginson expects Padiham to present a similar challenge in front of an expected 1,700 all-ticket crowd at the Arbories Memorial Ground: "They are a typical North West Counties side, in your face, putting their foot in, and we have to match that."

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