Moors Ladies will kick-off another exciting season of NERWFL Premier Division football on Sunday when they make the trip to take on rivals South Shields.

After being promoted to the top flight of the NERWFL in 2022/23, Moors Ladies emerged among the dark horses for the title last term and eventually earned a creditable runners-up spot.

Now they enter their second season at the level aiming to get off to a bright start when they make the short journey to face Shields at Harton Welfare Club.

The two sides met four times in all competitions last term with each club enjoying two victories and this weekend’s encounter is sure to be just as keenly contested.

Interim Manager Gavin Cogdon led the Ladies’ training session on Thursday evening in readiness for the big game and he will take charge for the first time on Sunday.

“We spoke to the girls before training and their response has been first-class,” he told us.

“There’s obviously a lot of excitement among the group as there is at the start of any season and we’ve been handed a big game to kick it off.

“There were some good battles with Shields last season in cup and league, so the players know the kind of thing to expect at the weekend.

“They all trained ever so well on Thursday and now we want to try and take that into Sunday’s game and hopefully that can help us enjoy a positive start.”

Cogdon will be without skipper Alex Saunders and young forward Lily Jackson who are both unavailable, while summer signing Jess Dawson will have her fitness assessed after picking up an injury during pre-season.

Fellow new arrivals Fearne Brischuk, Holly Doogan, Amy Elliott, Brooke Newton, Amy Richardson and Aimee Steele are all in contention for their competitive Moors debuts.

Kick-off is 2pm and supporters are welcome to cheer the team on at Harton Welfare on Sunday as another new season begins.