Former Burnley youth team skipper to face Spurs in FA Cup third round!

The Clitheroe FC boss was facing another weekend without football after the Government pulled the plug on non-elite sport due to another national lockdown.

But the 27-year-old was given the opportunity to dust off his boots and experience the magic of the competition after signing a short-term deal with Marine AFC.

Lynch, who undertook a player/manager role at Shawbridge, has been on the sidelines for most of the season as he guided the Blues to fourth spot in the NPL North West Division.

Now, thanks to Mariners manager Neil Young, who worked with Lynch earlier in his career, he could be battling it out with Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son live on the BBC.

A statement on the club's website read: "After an approach from Marine FC, the Clitheroe FC board has agreed to release player/manager David Lynch’s player registration for a period of 14 days to allow him to be involved with Marine in their FA Cup third round tie against Tottenham Hotspur.

"Whilst acknowledging that such a move is probably without precedent, the board took into account the fact that it is unlikely that the Clitheroe squad will be able to train or play for the foreseeable future. It has no impact on David’s role as manager of Clitheroe FC.

"We have an excellent relationship as a club with Marine, and their manager Neil Young has worked in the recent past with both David and with our Director of Football, Carl Garner.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for David personally and the board knows that David will acquit himself and represent the club in the professional fashion in which he does everything.

"Finally, as a league, we are very proud of the showcase that Marine can now provide to a wider audience of the quality of football at this level and we are very happy to play a small part in that."