MATCH PREVIEW: The new normal – cup tie Tuesday

Lots of very strange happenings in the football world at the moment and one of those sees our FA Cup First Round Qualifying tie being staged on a Tuesday evening.

Reds travel to NPL Premier Division outfit, Radcliffe, for their second away trip in this season’s competition and face a Lee Fowler side hoping to bounce back after an opening day league defeat at the weekend.

They suffered a 4-2 reverse against Buxton whilst Reds laboured to a draw at Pickering Town. Both managers will be looking for an immediate improvement, therefore, which makes the game all the more interesting.

Reds have played the previously named Radcliffe Borough thirty one times in competitive matches over the years but met Radcliffe FC for the first time thirteen months ago in a pre-season game. It was a surprise 4-1 victory for Reds on that warm afternoon which, ironically, was our best win at the Neuven Stadium.

Prior to that, we had only won three times in fifteen visits to Radcliffe.

Apart from twenty eight league meetings between the clubs (Reds winning seven, Radcliffe successful on eleven occasions), we have twice met in knock-out competition.

Radcliffe knocked us out of the FA Trophy at Borough Park back in 1984 (after a 0-0 draw at Radcliffe) but we gained revenge of sorts with an FA Cup home win against them in 2009 – Gareth Arnison, Andy Hardman and Jonny Wright scoring in a 3-0 success.

We collected prize money of £7,500 from that previous encounter and Tuesday’s winners will receive £2,250 (£750 for the losers) in comparison.

Paul Armstrong will provide the usual excellent service on the Live Scoreboard facility, via the website, with John Walsh serving up live commentary on BBC Radio Cumbria.

Kick-off 7.45pm

Postcode: M26 3PE