WARRINGTON Town are frantically searching for a new goalkeeper in time for their FA Trophy first round clash with Prescot Cables on Saturday.

Regular custodian Tony McMillan suffered a gash to his knee during Tuesday’s FA Cup fourth qualifying round replay defeat at FC Halifax Town.

READ: How Yellows' FA Cup run was ended

Paul Carden's post-match reaction to FC Halifax defeat

The injury, which required hospital treatment after the game, is expected to keep McMillan out of action for at least two weeks.

Sixteen-year-old Joe Williams and goalkeeping coach James Speare have been substitute keepers this season, but manager Paul Carden confirmed he is looking to bring in a new stopper that can slot straight into his team.

“Tony looks like he will be out for a few weeks. We will need to get a keeper in,” he told the Guardian.

“Joe is a great kid and he has a great future, but he’s not ready yet. He needs to go and play men’s football.

“I’m sure he will have a career at whatever level, but right now we need a first-team keeper.”

Saturday’s game will be Town’s ninth cup game of the season already and they have as many as five league games in hand on sides around them in the Evo-Stik Premier Division.

They return to league action on Tuesday with a trip to Nantwich Town, but before then Yellows begin their campaign in a competition in which they enjoyed a memorable run to the last-16 last season.

Carden says he is likely to make changes for the visit of Prescot, but insists his side will still be a strong one.

“It’s always full steam ahead no matter who plays,” he said.

“I don’t believe in fringe players, I believe in a first-team squad.

“It just so happens that there’s been a lot of players who have been performing well over a number of weeks and other lads haven’t been able to shift them.

“It will be an opportunity for us to make changes, but it is not like we’re weakening the team. The team will still be very strong.”

Tuesday’s defeat brings to an end Yellows’ chances of reaching the FA Cup first round for only the second time in their history.

However, Carden refused to be philosophical about their exit from the competition.

“I don’t like to smile when we’ve been beaten. We won’t paper over anything because we’ve had a decent run,” he said.

“The fact is we should have won the tie on Saturday but we didn’t and we should have played better in the replay but we didn’t.

“We’re disappointed – like we should be – but we will draw a line under it and focus on Saturday, which will be another tough game.”