The road leading to non-league’s promised land meanders through the city of Leicester this Saturday when the next stop on our journey is the Gary Lineker Pavilion in Saffron Lane, Wigston, the home of Aylestone Park FC. Our two previous visits to this venue both ended in defeat, so it will be a case of third time lucky should we succeed in upsetting the home side. But it will not be an easy one as Aylestone have not lost a game on their own ground since Northampton Sileby Rangers dumped them out of the FA Cup back in early August.
The Park are in their third season in the United Counties league following their promotion from Step 6 in 2023 and to date, it has been a frustrating experience for them. After being pipped at the post by St Neots in the race for the Championship last season, they were beaten in the Play-Off Final by Rugby Borough after looking favourites to win the second promotion place. It was the same outcome the previous season when they were defeated by Racing Club Warwick in the play-off final. But this time around, they are facing much stiffer competition to just reach the end of year finale as any club currently in the top half of the table can justifiably claim to be in with a shout of finishing in the top five places come April.
Aylestone’s chances of claiming top spot took a blow last weekend when they were defeated 4-2 at Nuneaton Town. Consequently, they are now seven points behind the league leaders. They currently sit in fifth place in the table, one place and two points behind The Stutes but having played four games fewer.
Unlike in previous seasons, their home league form has been a little inconsistent. Atherstone, Eynesbury, Coventry and Nuneaton have all taken home a point from their visit to Wigston, so whilst being the proverbial ‘difficult place to go’ the prospects of getting some reward from Saturday’s game is not out of our reach.
Matt and Mark will no doubt be looking for a reaction from their side after an uncharacteristically flat performance against Moulton, but should be encouraged by having Jordan Foster available again after the forward missed last weekend’s defeat. With our next three games all being at home, a win on Saturday will give us a great chance of finishing the year in a great position from which to push on in 2026.
Aylestone Park’s ground is just a short distance from Junction 21 of the M1 and has ample car parking. Admission prices are quoted as being £6 for adults and £3 for concessions, which includes a complimentary programme. The postcode for your SatNav is LE2 6TG. The locals are only too happy to talk about how Gary Lineker began his career at this very ground before going on to score 48 goals for England and presenting Match of the Day for a quarter of a century. They love him over there.
As always, your support away from home would be greatly appreciated, but keep an eye on social media for the latest weather updates and news of any pitch inspections.
