MATCH PREVIEW: East meets west in final friendly

Reds will play their eighth and final friendly of the summer on the east coast with a tough looking assignment at Marske United on Saturday (3pm).

It’s the final dress rehearsal for Danny Grainger’s squad but some key members of the cast are still unavailable – the frustrations of non-league football!  Honeymoons, holidays and injuries account for the absentees but it is another opportunity for other squad members.

Marske, like Workington, have had a long pre-season schedule and suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat at Scarborough Athletic last time out.  They have also played seven games and victories over Shildon, Guisborough and Redcar Town were countered balanced by defeats against Thornaby and Hartlepool United.

They are now a Step 3 club for the first time in their history having achieved what Reds failed to do last season – win promotion via the play-offs.  After finishing runners-up to Liversedge in the NPL’s East Division, Marske went up after overcoming Shildon (2-1) and Stockton Town (2-1) in the semi and final respectively.

They, too, had three players named in the divisional ‘Team of the Year.

The clubs have met twice previously with a 2-2 draw the outcome at Mount Pleasant and Reds winning the return at Borough Park, 2-0, during the curtailed 2019-20 campaign.  We were due to play each other the following season but the Pandemic ruled otherwise.

Marske will begin life in the Premier Division with a home game against Belper Town next week with Reds hosting Mossley as they start a fourth successive season at Step 4.

Venue: Mount Pleasant, TS11 7BW

Admission: £8 (adult), £4 (concession), £2 (U16s)