This coming Saturday we can put the League to one side as we concentrate on FA Cup action. Usually at this stage we have been drawn to lower league opposition but this season we have a side from our league, and one who recently inflicted a 1-0 defeat on us. This gives us the chance of some revenge, but for once due to league placings we can become the giant killer. The earlier league defeat was a close affair decided by an 85th minute penalty so hopefully with home advantage we must take the chance to win the game, especially as money is at stake.

For the first time, the FA have brought in prizemoney for losers up to the 4th and final qualifying round, making the FA cup more attractive to the non-league teams. Due to their league placing last season, Mickleover had to play a preliminary round, and have already dispatched Coventry Sphynx banking £2890. Saturday’s winner will receive £4500 and the losers’ pocket £1500. We need to be the team picking up the winners’ cheque to proceed to a potential £6750 second round pay day. It is highly likely with some luck that a step 3 side like us could reach the 4th qualifying round to meet a big boy from the National League. Should we reach that scenario and lose, we would have amassed £22k with a further £6250 from losing that game. The FA have dangled the carrot and we need to ensure we take a big bite out of it.

Sadly, history is very much against us with recent FA cup history, especially this century. Early days this century we were in the Southern League, Conference and Conference North giving us exemption to the later qualifying rounds. Our first venture into the 1st Qualifying round took place in season 2011/12 winning 3-2 at AFC Wulfrunians. We lost in the next round to Stratford. In the next season we got passed Stourport with a replay but again lost in the 2nd round. 2013/14 followed the similar pattern with a win over Chasetown in a replay, but then losing out to Boston United. 2014/5 saw us drop to step 4 so had to play a preliminary round. A victory over Walsall Wood got us into the 1st Qualifying round were our run ended in a replay defeat to Tividale. In our second season at step 4015/16 we never made this stage going out to Coleshill in the preliminary round. Back in the NPL for 2016/7 we started again at this stage but lost to Kidsgrove. Season 2017/8 saw a mini cup run beating Peterborough Sports 4-3 away at this stage and then beating Tamwoth before losing out to Telford in a replay. Last season saw us victorious at this stage beating Grimsby Borough, but the usual exit next round followed at Kings Lynn.

As you can see, not a very inspiring recent F A Cup history so if lady luck is on our side, perhaps this could be the year with a televised round one victory and an away tie at a top premiership ground in round 3. Oops, sorry I have just woken up. But that is the magic of the F A Cup, and for us it starts this Saturday. See you at Marston Road to cheer the team on.

Games played on September 7th this century

2002 Havant and Waterlooville A 1-1 Southern League
2011 Matlock A 1-1 Northern Premier League
2013 Chorley A 0-3 Northern Premier League

Basford at home always makes you think of the game in our promotion season. A win would have relived the tension of the Coalville fixture, but we had to make things difficult for ourselves by only drawing. Our only other home fixture with Basford was last season when they came to us on September 25th and we ran out 3-1 winners. Let’s home for something similar again.

Basford are now managed by former Notts Forest defender Steve Chettle who appears to be having similar problems to ourselves. In their 2 defeats, both 1-0 he was concerned about the chances that went begging. However, their 3 wins have seen a 4-1 win over Lancaster, a 3-2 win over Hyde and a 1-0 win over Radcliffe. After the 1-0 defeat at Grantham he told the clubs website that we had four golden chances all in the six-yard box, where we just needed someone to put the ball in the net. It’s the hardest thing in the world scoring goals and it’s proven to be our downfall. We have witnessed games like that this season.
We too have problems up front only scoring 2 goals to date, but the defence had been holding out well with our defeats coming only by the odd goal. That is of course till Saturday when the word capitulated appeared to use a lot. For an hour we were in the game, but we lacked the skills of Tom Thorley and Jake Charles who were both missing through injury. That injury list got worse on Saturday when we lost Theo Bailey-Jones to an Achilles injury which could keep him out for the season.
we now need the fans even more to support the team on Tuesday as we strive for our first win. Changes in personnel and possible tweaking of formation could get the reaction required. We enter an interesting month with crucial league games and the potential for an FA Cup run to bring in much needed revenue.

Please attend Tuesday but can you please return the night after, as Wednesday 4th with a 7:45 kick off the youth, the potential future players of the club, kick off their FA Youth Cup programme with a home game against Leamington. Again, your support will be very much appreciated.

Games played on September 3rd this century

2002 Newport                       H                     1-0 Southern League
2005 Moor Green                 H                     1-3 Conference North
2011 Marine                          H                      2-1 Northern prem
2013 Skelmersdale               A                      2-3 Northern Prem
2016 Kidsgrove                     H                     1-2 F A C up 1st qualifying round

Games played on September 4th this century
2001 Hinkley                       H                       4-2 Southern League
2004 Bradford P                 A                       1-3 Conference North
2010 Droylsden                  A                       0-2 Conference North
2012 Grantham                  A                       2-2 Northern Prem
2018 Hednesford               A                       3-1 Northern Prem

  This Saturday it’s a trip around the M60 to play Hyde, hoping to quickly forget last season’s 5-3 defeat in March. Another notorious Hyde away fixture springs to mind but this was an FA Cup tie.

We managed to knock Hyde out of the cup but sadly our left back Graig Love had already played a game in that seasons FA Cup. Apparently, all the players were asked if they had already played in the Cup and all answered, No. It was only after the game that Graig owned up to playing in the cup, forgetting, he said because you play so many games at the start of a season before signing for us. These days such a mistake would never happen as we would check such instances when signing a player. Having owned up, the football club owned up and unfortunately were removed from the competition.

This league fixture has been somewhat sporadic this century with only 5 previous encounters of which 4 were Conference North fixtures. The honours for the games played 2005/6, 2008/9, 2009/10 and 2010/11 coming, see us winning 1, drawing 1 and losing 2. The 2009/10 fixture was the firs game of the season and I remember driving from a holiday break in Suffolk to get to the game. Of course, the other fixture was last seasons encounter. The gap in years between 2011 and 2016 were due to the two teams going in different directions. Hyde went up from the Conference North for a spell in the Conference at step 1 while we went downwards to the Northern Prem Division 1 South at step 4. However, in recent years the tide has turned. Lets us hop this tide can continue to turn for us.

Hyde have started the season well despite losing their first game at home to Basford and have gone on to record victories on their travels at FC United and South Shields, before beating Buxton at home. Their three wins certainly going a long way to help them cement their current 3rd place. So, it looks to be a tough encounter for us on Saturday, but the higher up the table you are, you are there to be shot at and who knows we could be David to their Goliath. One name in the Hyde squad will be well known to Rangers fans is former Port Vale youngster Harry Benns who had a few months with us last season, and upon his release from Vale is now a Hyde player.

Games played on the 31st August this century

2002 Cambridge City            H              0-1                   Southern League
2009 Solihull                          H              2-3                   Conference North
2013 Ilkeston                         H              2-4                    Northern Prem

Mickleover preview.

On Bank Holiday Monday we make the short hop into Derbyshire to play Mickleover, at a ground we never appear to do well. In 5 visits we have won 2 and lost 3, with the most recent visit last season that saw us cruising to a 2-0 lead as well as hitting the post. A second half fight back saw Mickleover score three to send us home dejected in what was a nail biting “6 pointer”. For those who have not been to the Mickleover ground, it is shared with a cricket ground giving no access to half a goal line and half a touch line. We did however witness a “funny” incident in our first ever visit. The cub bar is behind a goal and in the warm up a player lofted a shot over the bar and the ball flew through the open door followed by the sound of breaking glass as it bounced over tables and hit the trophy cabinet.

Mickleover’s ground is on Station Road, so that may have got some fans interested to do a repeat of the train trip to Lancaster last week. However good old Dr Beaching put paid to that idea by closing the line through Mickleover in 1964. Had he not then thanks to the Great Northern Railway company you may have been able to catch a train direct from Stafford. However, being a bank holiday, the line would have been closed for essential engineering works.

Neither side has made a good start to the season with Mickleover beating Stalybridge 1-0 at home and then losing 1-0 at Witton in midweek. Due to their league position last season, Mickleover have had to play in the FA Cup preliminary round and on Friday at home they defeated Coventry Sphynx 3-0. Do you remember our FA Cup encounter with Coventry Sphynx. The less said about that the better. In the fledgling league table, Mickleover lie 15th with three points from their two games while we lie in the dreaded 19th position with 1 point from our 3 games. I say the dreaded 19th position, because at the end of this season each step 3 league will relegate their bottom three, 20th, 21st and 22nd. However, two further sides must be relegated so it will be the two 19th sides in the 4 step 3 league with the worst points per game ratio. Complicated, yes, and I hope I do not have to explain this predicament again as it puts extra pressure this season on relegation.

Do not forget but we had a similar start to last season, losing at Workington and South Shields with a home draw in Grantham in between. The Bank Holiday fixture with Mickleover was played at Marston Road with a 1-1 draw the result. So, with the anticipated heat wave expected on Bank Holiday Monday, please refrain from going anywhere to be stuck in traffic jams and put the barbie away till after the game. Don your shorts and splash on the sun cream and cheer the team on to that much needed first win.

Games played 26th August this century

2000 Worcester A 4-2 Southern League
2002 Halesowen A 1-1 Southern League
2006 Crawley A 2-1 Conference
2013 Rushall A 0-2 Northern Prem
2015 Kidsgrove A 3-0 Northern Prem Div 1 South
2017 Workington A 0-0 Northern Prem