4 games of the season remaining and they begin with a tough away trip to high flying Hallam for our latest NCEL fixture, kick off is at 3:00pm
Blues News
It’s now 4 games that the Blues can enjoy with the pressure lifted after Panashe Makwiramiti’s goal secured a 1-0 victory over Winterton Rangers last Saturday in a huge game at the bottom of the table.
The victory was enough to relegate Winterton, whilst Goole’s 7-0 defeat to Handsworth meant that they were all but out of range, needing to win all of their remaining games without reply whilst overturning a huge goal difference deficit.
However, they fell at the first hurdle, drawing 1-1 with Winterton on Tuesday night to secure the Blues place in the NCEL, meaning that the last 4 games can now be enjoyed with no pressure and attention can start to turn to next season.
The victory over Winterton saw the Blues remain 18th in the NCEL Premier table, climbing to 33 points for the season. It’s certainly not been the campaign that we all hoped for but the main job is done and that’s something the lads can all be proud of.
Form (Last 5) – WDLLW
League Standing – P34, W9, D6, L19, Pts 33, Pos 18th
Our Opponents
At the other end of the spectrum, and still with everything to play for, are our hosts Hallam. The Countrymen come into the weekend in 2nd place in the NCEL, desperately trying to hunt down leaders Silsden to take the title and automatic promotion.
They had a minor slip up in midweek, with Campion equalising late on to draw 2-2 with Hallam, leaving them 4 points off top spot but now having played a game more. A victory for them tomorrow is all but a must if they hope to keep the title race alive.
It was a rare blip for the Countrymen in midweek, as they are currently on a 14 game unbeaten league run stretching back to the end of November, winning 12 of those matches in that time. They did, however, face defeat in the League Cup last week, losing 1-0 away at Knaresborough but it will certainly be a tough task for the Blues to get anything from tomorrow’s game.
History and form is also not on the Blues side, as Hallam have won all of the encounters between the two sides since both entered the NCEL Prem in the 2022/23 season. But who knows, runs need to come to an end at some point. Tomorrow might be the day!!
Form (Last 5) – WWLWD
League Standing – P34, W20, D7, L7, Pts 67, Pos 2nd
Previous Meetings
This will be the 3rd meeting of the two sides so far this season, with Hallam coming out on top in each of the previous encounters.
The Countrymen secured a 6-2 victory at Sandygate back in September courtesy of braces from Iren Wilson and Calum Ward, with Chris Salt and Rio Allan also on the scoresheet. Jamie Tomlinson and Luke Williams got the goals for Frickley.
And it was a similar story in the reverse league fixture at Westfield Lane in October, with Hallam this time winning 6-0. A Leon Howarth hat trick, Brodie Litchfield brace and Rio Allan penalty doing the damage on this occasion.
Match Information
So come along to the world’s oldest football ground and show the boys some support as we come to the end of this season. Address for the ground is below:
Sandygate, Sandygate Road, Crosspool, Sheffield, S10 5SE
Admission prices are below:
Adults – £6.00
Concessions – £4.00
Dogs are welcome on a lead
And if you can’t make the game, then you can follow all the coverage with our live match commentary on PodBean. Join us from around 2:55pm for all of the action.
With the pressure lifted and the shackles off, let’s hope the lads can deliver a performance to enjoy and deliver a huge result. Hope to see you all there
🔵⚪️🔵
#forzafrickley
