NORTHERN Counties East League high-flyers Pickering Town and Selby Town both face tough tests this Saturday if they are to progress to the third round of the FA Vase.

Pickering travel to FA Cup first round participants Shildon and Selby play host to Albany Northern League division one leaders Durham City.

Shildon are currently seventh in the Northern League but this season's Cup heroics mean they have several games in hand on the leading pack and Pikes boss Steve Brown is expecting a tough test.

First and foremost, Pickering's defence will have to prevent former Darlington striker Gary Williamson-Barnes from adding to his amazing record of 33 goals from 25 league and cup starts this season.

Williamson-Barnes' tally included nine goals in Shildon's FA Cup run, which ended this month with a 7-2 defeat at Notts County.

The Dean Street club had earlier beaten Workington (2-1), Durham City (2-0), Frickley Athletic (5-1), Shirebrook Town (3-1) and Stocksbridge Park Steels (6-0) to reach the first round proper but the achievement was not the club's finest achievement in the competition.

That honour belongs to the 1927-28 team that dumped York City out of the Cup after a replay.

If Pickering do manage to quieten Williamson-Barnes, 21, then Lee Ellison is also capable of causing damage.

The 30-year-old Ellison, who scored 26 goals in 86 Football League and Cup starts for Darlington, Hartlepool and Crewe, has netted 19 times in 24 matches for Shildon this season.

Saturday's tie was set up after Shildon beat Northern Counties East League division one side Garforth 3-0 and Pikes manager Brown said: "We want to do well in the Vase. There's no two ways about that.

"We are very keen to have a good run. We got to the last 32 last season and Brigg (Pickering's NCEL premier division rivals) have shown that you can win it but I do not think we could have had a much tougher draw.

"You expect teams like this in the last 16 so it will be a big obstacle. The two prolific strikers are very lively and we will have to be on our game but we have beaten Bishop Auckland, who are from a higher league and who they groundshare with."

Pickering will be without suspended striker Mark Wood again for the tie but young defender John Elwood is expected to be called into the squad.

Ex-Harrogate Railway striker Ian Hart is also on the comeback trail and could be back in action for the Pikes soon after a run out for the reserves.

Selby's opponents, Durham, reached the semi-finals of the Vase in 2002 and will be hoping to go one better in this season's competition after their fine start to the season.

Ex-Carlisle United striker Steve Halliday and former Leyton Orient and Doncaster defender Sam Kitchen are both included in Saturday's starting line-up for the visitors at Flaxley Road.

In the Unibond League, Harrogate Town play host to Southport, who were relegated from the Conference last season and are surprisingly as low as tenth in the premier division table.

Neil Aspin, Glenn Naylor and James McDaid are all due to return for the home side after missing the midweek League Cup exit at Guiseley with Robbie Whellans dropping back to the bench.

Updated: 11:15 Friday, November 21, 2003