There are just three more home matches to go for our Men’s First team starting with the visit of Daventry Town to Bridge Road this coming Saturday, and if last weekend is anything to go by, we are in for a goal-fest.
Last week, Aylestone Park came to Bridge Road looking to avenge the 4-1 beating we gave them back in December and to make up ground on us in the race for the play-off places. They went home having failed on both fronts as our never-say-die mentality helped us overturn a one goal deficit and win the day. Can we show that same spirit and commitment over the remainder of the season? We will soon find out.
If we are to make the play-offs this season it will be without the aid of England schoolboy international Theo Goddard. News filtered around the ground last weekend that Theo and his father Wayne have committed themselves to Newmarket Town for the remainder of the season. They have their own reasons for doing so, but we can only thank Theo for choosing to join us after leaving the Milton Keynes Dons academy. We wish him all the best in what will surely be a successful footballing career.
But back to this weekend and our encounter with Daventry Town, which is no less important than last week’s game. We were 5-0 winners when we met earlier this season in Daventry, but the Northants side has recovered from the slump they were in at the time, as demonstrated by their win over Moulton last week. They may not be involved in either the promotion or relegation tussle, but they will no doubt be looking to rebuild for next season, and as such, cannot be taken lightly.
Theo’s departure means a place in the First team has opened up for another one of our many talented midfielders. If Matt and Mark choose to mix things up a little this week then Luke Kenny, Ben Netherclift and Harry Hurst are all poised to stake a claim in the starting eleven. Deacon Pattison and Joe Greenslade-Cross both made an impact from the bench last week and will compete with Jordan Foster and Danny Baulk for a place in the wide positions. Karl Saffery missed last week’s game with a sore knee, but with Charlie Black stepping into the side and scoring a contender for the goal of the season, M&M will have a decision to make on who fills the right back slot on Saturday.
We have not beaten Daventry Town on any of their three previous visits to Bridge Road, spanning the Northern Premier League and the United Counties League. This Saturday could be our best chance of ending that particular run. Your energy in the stands and on the touchlines was a driving force behind our win against Aylestone Park last week so the same again on Saturday would be much appreciated by the players and management alike.
We are grateful to Specto-Natura for sponsoring Saturdays game and to Camtech Building Products for their match ball sponsorship. So, all is set for another exhilarating if perhaps nerve-racking afternoon of live football at Bridge Road this Saturday starting at 2pm.
