MATCH PREVIEW: Busy weekend

Reds will play their fifth and sixth league games in August with a busy Bank Holiday weekend seeing them travel to Ashton United on Saturday before hosting current leaders, Hebburn Town, forty-eight hours later.

First on the agenda is the trip to Greater Manchester and a tough assignment against Steve Cunningham’s unbeaten Robins.

Like Reds, they have obtained more points on the road than they have on home soil in the early weeks of the season and will be a difficult opponent.

So far, they have drawn at home to Bamber Bridge (0-0) and Blyth Spartans (2-2) but have won at Gainsborough Trinity (1-0) and Warrington Rylands (4-3).

Although our recent record against them is good, the head-to-head stats confirm that Ashton are ahead in the series which stretches back over twenty-eight meetings – all in the Northern Premier League.

They have recorded thirteen victories, Reds have managed ten so far with five games drawn. The fifth draw was the most recent encounter with a 2-2 score line the outcome at Hurst Cross last December.

We twice went in front that day with superb goals from Dav Symington and Kit Nelson but were pegged back each time through Jake Charles and the evergreen Sean Newton in what was an entertaining contest.

Mark Fell will have to shuffle what cards he has for Saturday with options limited and hope to avoid injuries to his small squad over the demanding back-to-back schedule.

Venue:

Hurst Cross Stadium

Surrey Street

Ashton-Under-Lyne

OL6 8DY

Kick-off: 3pm