ECCLESHILL United have made midfielder Charlie Flaherty their new captain following the departure of Sam Bradley.

Flaherty has played a crucial role in the club's recent history, from being part of the 2014 West Riding County Cup win to last season's promotion success, and has been a leader on and off the pitch.

He said: "It's an honour to captain any club. You go into any game looking to do your best and if you're looked at to be the leader then obviously you have to have a strong mindset and personally, I think that I've got that.

"I always look to try to lead by example. I always have done prior to being given the captaincy and I don't think I will change my game much at all, I'll just have an armband on."

Flaherty paid tribute to his predecessor Bradley, who is leaving due to a work opportunity in Dubai.

He said of the centre half: "'Brados' was class for us while he was here, not only on the pitch but in the changing room as well.

"I know he loves himself so he is probably going to love this! But all the lads are going to miss him. At the end of the day when the opportunity comes up, which doesn't come very often, you can't turn something like that down."

Flaherty is hoping he can lead the Eagles - currently 11th in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division - to success in the cup, starting with tonight's clash at home to Selby Town.

A home draw in the quarter-finals against Divison One Swallownest is at stake in the NCEL League Cup fourth round tie.

Eccleshill's 3-1 victory at Athersley Recreation in the last round kick-started an 11-game unbeaten run, with Sean Regan's side having not lost a match since late October.

Tonight they will be boosted by the return from injury of last season's top goal scorer, Luke Harrop, while many of the squad's younger players, such as Ryan Hargreaves, will be keen to earn some game time.

A division separates the two teams but Selby have proved to be a thorn in the Eagles' side during recent meetings.

With Liam Flanagan leading the Selby attack, there will be plenty for Aran Basi and Matt Mathers to think about.

Flanagan heads into the game as the NCEL Division One third leading scorer with an impressive 19 goals to his name.

However, the Eagles currently boast one of the best defensive records in the Premier Division.