A touchline ban means Colne boss Steve Cunningham will not stand toe to toe with his Chorley counterpart Matt Jansen when the pair lock horns for a place in the Lancashire Challenge Trophy Final at Leyland tonight (7.45pm)

Cunningham landed a four game ban last year and was due to serve his final punishment last weekend before Colne’s league fixture against Abbey Hey was called off.

It means Cunningham will be forced to watch the tie from the stand at the County Ground in a tie put back 24 hours after the pitch was deemed unsuitable to play on Tuesday.

“I grew up watching Matt Jansen playing in the Premier League for Blackburn Rovers and him scoring goals in cup finals, so to have the opportunity to stand next to him and pit my wits against a player who worked at the highest level was something I’d looked forward to since the draw was made,” he said.

“It is disappointing that I’m not going to get that chance, but I still want to beat him and I know we can.

“It will be tough, we are the underdogs, and Chorley are one of the most famous non-league clubs in England, so it is a glory tie for Colne.

“Chorley’s the sort of club we all hope to emulate, but if we can overcome the odds and make it to the final at Bolton it will be a monumental achievement for Colne.”

He added: “We don’t fear Chorley – we are confident.”

Cunningham has transformed Colne into title contenders this term, but while the gap between the North West Counties top flight and Conference North remains a significant one, the Colne boss remains quietly confident that his side can cause an upset.