Match Preview

LEISTON v PETERBOROUGH SPORTS - MATCH PREVIEW

Match Information
Saturday 18th November
Leiston v Peterborough Sports
Isuzu FA Trophy 2nd Round
3pm kick off
Watson & Hillhouse Stadium, Victory Road, Leiston, IP16 4DQ
Tel: - 01728 830308.

Admission Prices
Adults £12
Concessions £9 (over 65’s)
Students (with ID) £7
U16’s £3
U5’s FREE

Printed Programme for £2.

Members Bar and Main Hall (Bar) both open from midday.

Refreshments available throughout the day with the snack hatch also open near the club shop.

Car Parking in the main club.

Match Sponsors: - LFC Vice-Presidents.

Match Ball Sponsor: - Mr Chris Ellins.

The Blues host Peterborough Sports tomorrow afternoon in the Isuzu FA Trophy 2nd Round (Last 104).

This is the 7th time the Blues have reached this stage of the competition. The team reached this stage in November 2012, having beaten Hendon (2-1, H) and Met Police (4-3, away in a Replay after drawing 1-1 at Victory Road). Leiston went out to Hampton & Richmond Borough in the next round, again in a Replay. The first game at home was a 1-1 draw with David Head levelling things up but the Blues lost 3-2 at Hampton the following Tuesday evening, with Rhys Henry and Gareth Heath on rather. Two season later, and the side, managed by Richard Wilkins, defeated Leighton Town (drew 2-2 at home before winning 5-2 in Replay) and Paulson Rovers (3-2, H). They then received a BYE in the next round before losing 2-0 at Bromley, reaching the Last 64 in the process and achieving their best ever Trophy run.

Other games at this stage: -

November 2016: -

Eastbourne Borough (H): - Drew 1-1 (Jack Ainsley penalty).

Eastbourne Borough (A, Replay): - Drew 2-2 AET.

Matt Blake and Gareth Heath were on target, the latters goal came on 119 minutes in extra time to take the tie to a penalty shootout. Leiston won 5-3 on spot kicks.

November 2018: - Beaconsfield Town 3-1 Leiston. Joe Jefford with the Blues goal.

November 2021: - Bishop’s Stortford 5-1 Leiston. Adam Mills with Leiston’s goal.

November 2022: - Leiston 4-3 Alvechurch. A double from Joe Marsden and Ben Fowkes helped Leiston into the next round. Marsden got his second and Leiston’s fourth in the last of the ninety as Alvechurch had come back from three goals down at one stage.

Leiston first met Peterborough Sports in September 2019, losing 8-1 away from home before losing 4-2 just before Christmas in the return fixture. I. The following season, the Blues again went down 4-2 at home but the season was cut short due to another outbreak of COVID. In the 2021/2022 campaign, two Finlay Barnes goals helped Leiston to a 2-1 win away from home and on the final day that season, the teams drew 0-0 at home. Peterborough won both their play-off games at home, winning the final 2-0 at home to Coalville Town and are now in their second season at Step 2.

Peterborough are currently 20th in the league, with 22 points from 19 games (winning 6, drawing 4 and losing 9). They went out of the FA Cup to Needham Market 3-0 in a Replay after drawing 0-0 at home. Peterborough have ex Leiston player Ben Fowkes in their ranks, with the Blues striker netting 20 goals for us last season.

After tomorrow’s Cup tie, Leiston finish November at home to Stamford (Saturday 25th November) and away to Alvechurch (Tuesday 28th November).

Blues boss Darren Eadie said ahead of tomorrow’s game: -

“Peterborough Sports are a team we know well from our time playing them the season before last when they achieved promotion to the National League North. We managed to take 4 points from them in that season. But of course tomorrow is not about three points, it’s all about a one off cup tie that I hope will be quite the spectacle.”

“We see two teams that like to get the ball down and play football. We are well aware of the threats they possess….no more evident than our former striker Ben Fowkes, who as he did for us last season is continuing his good goal scoring record. If we can keep him fairly quiet this weekend then we have a great opportunity to progress even further in the competition.
Thankfully, we have now slowly started to see a few players return from their short term injuries. For the first time this season myself and Chris have had a few selection headaches. Rather than just trying to put together a team with who we have fit!”

“On this note, myself and Chris would like to thank Ipswich Town for their help in securing some loan players to get through a difficult period and again mutually benefit both us and those lads personally. It’s a great learning curve for these young players to get an understanding of senior football. We are really pleased with their attitudes whilst with us so far. And we hope to continue to nurture and cement the relationship with Ipswich Town going forward.”

“Tomorrow’s game follows a good away point at Leamington Town last Saturday. On another day we could have come away with all 3 points. I think as nice to hear their manager after the game say we are probably the best side to visit them this season. That in itself shows that despite the setbacks of long term injuries and lots of other little short term injuries coupled with a young new squad, we are starting to see shoots of progression, just like we did a couple of years ago when assembling a squad almost from scratch. This season has been similar in terms of a rebuild having lost 85 goals or so from our team last season. We really appreciate the supporters continued support and understanding. I think they can all see how we like to play and will continue to push forward and build the on field progression further.”

“Finally, a welcome back to George Quantrell. A lad we all know well, returning from Braintree Town. George is a little short of match fitness, but he is working hard to hit those previous levels he reached in his previous spell with us. And it’s also great to have him back in the dressing room, a very popular member of the squad. Fingers crossed to be in the hat for next round come the end of Saturday afternoon!”

Isuzu FA Trophy 2nd Round ties this weekend: -

1 Buxton v City of Liverpool
2 Scunthorpe United v Darlington
3 Alfreton Town v Macclesfield
4 Chorley v Scarborough Athletic
5 Curzon Ashton v Matlock Town
6 Spennymoor Town v Mickleover
7 Warrington Town v Blythe Spartans
8 Farsley Celtic v Radcliffe
9 Nantwich Town v Chester
10 Southport v South Shields
11 Banbury United v Nuneaton Borough
12 Gloucester City v Braintree Town
13 Coalville Town v Boston United
14 Stafford Rangers v Brackley Town
15 Stourbridge v King’s Lynn Town
16 LEISTON v PETERBOROUGH SPORTS
17 Redditch United v Rushall Olympic
18 Bishop’s Stortford v St Alban’s City
19 Hereford v Redbridge
20 Aveley v St Ives Town
21 Harborough Town v Chelmsford City
22 Hemel Hempstead v Walsall Wood
23 Billericay Town v Tamworth
24 Bracknell Town v Horsham
25 AFC Totton v Havant & Waterlooville
26 Hendon v Eastbourne Borough
27 Bognor Regis Town v Soutn Park (Reigate)
28 Torquay United v Yeovil Town
29 Chippenham Town v Basingstoke Town
30 Whitehawk v Lewes
31 Frome Town v Worthing
32 Dover Athletic v Weymouth
33 Weston Super Mare v Cray Wanderers
34 Slough Town v Farnborough
35 Hythe Town v Tonbridge Angels
36 Bath City v Beaconsfield Town
37 Hungerford Town v Truro City
38 Welling United v Taunton Town
39 Dartford v Maidstone United
40 Cray Valley PM v Hampton & Richmond Borough.

The winners of tomorrow’s ties receive £3,750 whilst the losers pick up £1,000. The tie will go straight to penalties if the game ends level after ninety minutes.

On a sad note, there will be a minutes silence before tomorrow’s match in memory of Jean Goddard who sadly passed away a couple of weeks ago. Jean followed Leiston home and away for a number years with her husband Peter, who played and managed the club for several seasons. Everyone’s thoughts are with Peter and his family at this difficult time.

Meanwhile, the U23’s head to FC Peterborough
in the Thurlow Nunn First Division North. The youngsters have dropped to bottom of the table in recent weeks. FC Peterborough have 26 points from their 22 league game so far.

Matches in the Thurlow Nunn First Division North tomorrow: -

Cornard United v Holbeach United
FC PETERBOROUGH v LEISTON U23’s
Framlingham Town v FC Parson Drove
Great Yarmouth Town v Wivenhoe Town
Harwich & Parkeston v Dussindale & Hellesdon Rovers
Haverhill Rovers v Whittlesey Athletic
Stanway Pegasus v AFC Sudbury Reserves
Whitton United v Haverhill Borough