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Match preview: Spalding Town, an unknown quantity

Match preview: Spalding Town, an unknown quantity

HTFC Webmaster12 Dec 2014 - 19:43
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Town make the trip to Spalding Town playing for a place in the quarter finals of the Lincs Junior County Cup. (1:30pm kick off).

Town will come up against some what of an unknown quantity in Spalding Town as they look to progress to the last eight of the very well respected county cup competition.

The Wongers will be without several key players, however. 'Keeper Lewis Burchnall, centre back Steve Brown and midfielder Carl Smith are all unavailable. The experienced Jason Stamford will wear the number one shirt and at the same time make his competitive debut for the 1st team. The other two additions to the squad are Callum Low and Gareth Melia who both return after featuring for the reserves last weekend.

Tomorrow's opposition are members of the Peterborough & District League and currently occupy 3rd place in Division 3 of the League structure. Last season they won division 4, losing just once in the process and their current position in the league would suggest that they are in contention for promotion this time round, too. They are in fact on a twelve game winning streak in all competitions so come into the game in very good form. Three of their players are also in double figures this season, Martin Sandall (18), Tomasz Rabiega (15) and Ryan Wheeler (13), so the Town defence will also have to be on their toes to keep the Spalding player's from adding to their tallies. Town are hardly short of goals themselves this season. Michael Harness has netted 12 times in 14 games and target man, Mickey Stones has 8 in just 6 games.

To get to this stage of the competition both teams have played twice. Town eased through the 1st round thrashing Billinghay Athletic 8-1, but in the last round only just made it past Benington, edging the Boston League side by four goals to three. Spalding had a similiar passage, coasting through round one with a 9-0 win over North Cotes, while they scraped past the Lincs League's Market Rasen, winning 3-2 in the 2nd round.

Town will be hoping to continue to fly the Lincolnshire League flag in the last eight of the competition by winning tomorrow's game but will have to be wary of any complacency as the Spalding based side come into the game full of confidence. Despite missing three players, the club's strength in depth this season should see that his team is just a strong going into the match.

Kick off is 1:30pm at the Castle Sports Complex. Postcode, PE11 2AJ.

Squad: Stamford, Shinn, C.Johnson, Rawdon, Low, Lowman, Lovett, O.Johnson, Jackson, Melia, Saergent, Edwards, Harness, Stones.

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