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
