FGR defender Jordan Moore-Taylor says every one of his team-mates knows what's required of them ahead of this weekend's clash with Tranmere Rovers, with up to 12 players ruled out of the game through injury.

Moore-Taylor is one of those returning to action after a period on the sidelines, but a lot of players are going the other way, with Callum Morton, Ryan Inniss and Matty Stevens among the key absentees.

With Rovers threadbare, the 29-year-old has called upon his team-mates to regroup and come together ahead of an important few weeks.

“Injury wise, it’s not great at the moment. We haven’t had every player available, but that’s what happens in football. We’ve got to come together, regroup and not make any excuses. 

“Everyone has to cope with injuries across a season, every team goes through it. Everybody here knows what they need to do when they play. We just need to kick on, come together and get the results we need."

Moore-Taylor played the first 45 minutes in Rovers' 0-0 draw with Brighton U21s on Tuesday night - a result which saw David Horseman's side claim top spot in their Bristol Street Motors group.

The defender made his return as a late substitute in the 2-1 win over Crawley Town, while he was ruled out of the Scarborough FA Cup clash due to the artificial surface. Having received minutes in two of the last three matches, Moore-Taylor is hoping to build his game-time up over the next few weeks.

“It was nice to be back out there," he said. "I’ve been training for three weeks now so I’ve built up my fitness for a while.

“It was important to not rush back after two injuries in quick succession. I only trained for a week in the build up to the Doncaster game after the Swindon injury. To get solid fitness work in and a block of training in was perfect - and fingers crossed it gives me a chance to put some games together."

Moore-Taylor was on the scoresheet on FGR's last trip to Prenton Park, scoring the third goal in an emphatic 4-0 win in January 2022. The two teams have plenty of recent history, including a play-off final, play-off semi finals and top of the table clashes. However, Rovers vice-captain Moore-Taylor is keen to emphasise that it's just another normal game.

“It was only two years ago we played them and it was second against first," he said. "Before I joined you had the National League and League Two play-offs. There’s a little bit of a rivalry because we’ve often been competing at the same ends of the table, but it’s just another game we want three points from.

“Their fans are vocal. We need to start well and positively - hopefully that leads us to success. With them also struggling, we’ve got to hope we can make the stadium turn.”