The whole club is in action this weekend,
with home games for the first and third teams and an away match for the Reserves.
Following last weekend’s creditable
draw at Broadwell, there is a more familiar look to the first team squad that will be anticipating the visit of Lydbrook Athletic
on Saturday. The Neils Bermingham and Bond return and Andy Murray is available
for selection again following injury. Frank Ashworth, however, is not as he has
actually had his registration cancelled by the Northern Senior League for this one game.
Birthday boy Frank will have to sit it out on the touchline, then, as the team attempt to spend longer than the minute
that they managed back in October on level terms with Lydbrook. Indeed, following
Lydbrook’s 2-2 home draw with Bourton Rovers last weekend, it is fair to say that the team will be aiming to at least
continue an unbeaten run that now stretches back to the beginning of December.
The Reserves travel to Cheltenham Saracens
aiming to match a return to form with the return of Matt Stallwood, who is now back with us following a trip to his native
New Zealand for a wedding. The side hasn’t failed to win a league game
since the middle of November and beat Saracens’ third team 6-1 in the home match at the end of December but their opponents,
who have recently had a change in management, looked good as they took a point off AC Olympia last weekend and are likely
to pose a more significant challenge this time round.
The third team welcome Sherborne Harriers
to Bishops Cleeve for a repeat of the Minor Cup clash that saw Star knock out the holders in the first round at the beginning
of December. Since then, both teams have benefited from a rich vein of league
form, with Harriers’ winning run taking them to second place in the table before Saturday’s game. Following last weekend’s excellent display against Tewkesbury Town Reserves in the Minor Charity
Cup Quarter Final, which booked the team a place in the last four, the thirds welcome back 7 players who, for a variety of
reasons, were not available last weekend. Team captain Graham Withers and last
week’s MOM, Ben Hall, are missing but Andy Mole, Martin Reid, Stefano Pucello and John Marchant, who were all cup-tied,
and Jon Carpenter, Dave Nottingham and Nick Darke all return. Kieran Bermingham,
who made an impressive start and scored on his debut last week, retains his place and manager Mark Elliot also, bravely, selects
himself for an almost unprecedented second week in a row!!!
The first team kick off at 3.00 pm and the other two games start at 2.30 pm
