Morgan set for squad place at Vale

But boss Steve Evans will warn his players to be on their guard as they face a prickly trip to cash-strapped Port Vale, saying: “It’s getting to the stage where everyone now wants to take our scalps.”

Classy operator Morgan played half of Wednesday’s reserve game at Gateshead and did enough to warrant a place in Evans’ squad for tomorrow trip. The Welsh international has signed from Preston initially on a deal until the end of January.

And further good news for the boss is that Nicky Hunt and Dale Tonge are both in contention for squad places after returning from injury.

Said Evans: “Craig Morgan played for 45 minutes in the reserves and was nothing short of outstanding.

“Nicky Hunt also played for 65 minutes, as did Dale Tonge, and they came through fine so they could be in the squad for Saturday.

“It’s good to have them back. We want those options because we might need to move one or two out to bring one or two in while the loan window is open. We just need to balance things out."