TOM Wade has revealed he and Paddy Atkinson will turn into the tinkermen before tonight’s Evo-Stik League Cup clash at Stocksbridge Park Steels.

The Croft Park club have bolstered their squad since Atkinson replaced Tommy Cassidy as manager, and Wade arrived as assistant boss.

They won their first game in eight, seven of those in the league, on Saturday, beating Matlock Town 2-1.

Wade now wants Blyth to build on that victory by going on a winning run but says this evening’s game will be used to hand run-outs to a number of fringe players.

“It’s a good cup to win and we’re looking forward to it,” said Wade.

“We’ve got a decent-sized squad now, with about 19 or 20 lads, so we’ll be looking to give squad players a game and see where we are with them.

“They’re very good players, people who were playing at the start of the season, got injured and who have struggled to get back in the side.

“Now they’re screaming to get back into the team so we will be changing the team around slightly and it’s a big opportunity for them.

“But it’s still a game we want to win. We just got our first win in a while on Saturday, and we want to keep that going and go on a bit of a run between now and the end of the season.

“We have been on a bad run, it’s a very hard, unforgiving league. But we’ve played four or five of the top sides and been competitive in the last three or four of them.

“Every team in this league is pretty solid so you’ve got to compete, first of all, and then you can allow yourself to play football. If you don’t put the effort in, you’re going to get beaten.” Wade added: “It won’t be easy against Stocksbridge. They are near the bottom of the table but they’re a decent side.

“It’s vital we don’t get complacent. But we don’t take any game lightly, and now that we’ve won a game we just want to drive things forward.” Newcastle United youngsters Marcus Maddison and Michael Riley have returned to the Magpies following the end of their loan spells, and Sam Hodgson and Jake Turnbull have joined Ashington on loan.