Wingate & Finchley travel to Slough Town for a third round qualifier in the FA Trophy, with the motivation of a first round proper berth for the winner at Arbour Park.
Keith Rowland’s outfit come into the game off the back of an impressive 4-1 win away at Canvey Island last weekend, with in-form striker Reece Beckles-Richards finding his shooting boots once again with a hat-trick.
The Blues saw off Grays Athletic in a first round qualifier replay by 2-0 after the first tie ended one apiece, followed by Ware, another 2-0 respectively, and will be looking for their impressive away form to carry them over the line. From 13 away games in all competitions, seven of those have seen the Summers Lane supporters leave as happy travellers.
The Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division hosts are flying high themselves in their league sitting in third place, having played one game less than front-runners Leamington, who are just four points ahead.
From 16 home games, both in league and knock-out competitions, 12 wins have been accumulated by Neil Baker’s side with only two defeats tasted. The Rebels have progressed through to this stage by seeing off Bognor Regis Town 4-1, and in a second round qualifier replay at Arbour Park, Merthyr Town by 2-0, after coming back from 2-0 down in Wales.
They certainly carry a threat with former Wingate striker Lee Barney in their ranks, who has notched up six goals in 12 appearances. Although it’s left-sided midfielder James Dobson who’s carried their main threat having scored an impressive 13 goals in 27 appearances. Likewise, as aforementioned, Beckles-Richards has scored seven goals over four consecutive games, and will be hot on his toes to make more headlines.
With both teams high in confidence, Saturday could be witness to a tasty affair with a golden prize at stake. By Khalid Karimullah
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