Match preview by Joshua Birkin.

Thackley AFC take their first trip outside of Yorkshire for the season as they face Bottesford Town, in what is also this season’s first midweek fixture.

As always, in the NCEL Premier Division, August is a heavy month for the Dennyboys, an attempt to limit the effect of the inevitable postponements during the winter months. However, manager Danny Forrest, will be hoping to continue his winning start in sole charge of the side, after picking up two wins from both hard-fought games to start the season. The busy month started with FA Cup action at the weekend, when the Dennyboys were able to progress to the Preliminary Round of the competition for the first time in nine years. However, they must wait to find out who they play in that fixture, as fellow NCEL Premier Division side Golcar United and NWCFL side Padiham FC, need a replay, which also takes place on Tuesday night, to separate the two sides.

Before that, Thackley opened their 42nd consecutive season in the NCEL Premier Division with a home victory over newly promoted Beverley Town. A Finn Donovan brace, either side of a 38th minute Danny Earl penalty, was enough to seal a 2-1 victory and place the Dennyboys seventh in the table at this very early stage. Bottesford Town on the other hand, faced a tricky start to the season, a trip to North Yorkshire to face up to a new look Tadcaster Albion side who boasted four debutants, three of which found the net in a 3-0 victory. That result put the Scunthorpe based outfit 18th in the table. However, it is important not to read too much into results as this stage.

This is further reinforced by last season’s meeting between Bottesford and Thackley, in which ‘The Poachers’ put the Dennyboys play-off hopes into serious jeopardy, in what proved to be the penultimate nail in their coffin. The Dennyboys suffered a late injury time blow in the 2-2 draw at Dennyfield. Following a dominant performance, where Grech-Brooksbank put the home side ahead on 28 minutes, finishing intelligently into the bottom left corner with his back to goal. Dunkerley equalised with the visitor’s first shot on goal, after a long ball allowed Broadley in down the right. However, Bradshaw restored the lead three minutes later on the stroke of half time after he scrambled the ball home at the second attempt. Hearts were broken in the 95th minute, despite only 4 minutes of injury time being signaled, as Bottesford managed to find the time to float a cross in, that came so late I had actually closed my note pad, Fraiwald turned home on the half volley. This, all but confirmed that Thackley would spend another year in the Premier Division.

Thackley will face a similar team to the one that they faced up to on that Saturday afternoon in March, after the side managed to retain both goal scorers. There were just three changes from that squad to the one that travelled to Tadcaster on the opening day of this season. However, one new signing is Aristides Cunha, ‘Aris’, who came off the bench in that opening day defeat, he found a place in the starting eleven on Saturday and followed up with a goal in the side’s progress in the FA Cup.

As always, all support would be much appreciated for the first away game of the season where entry at the Barrett Steel Stadium will be £7 for adults; £4 for concessions and free for under 16’s.