However, Saturday offered a ray of hope with the return to the match day squad of midfielder Lewis Sugden, whilst Ben Bodle also continues his aim to be fully fit as quickly as possible, leaving Danny Forrest’s team selection open heading into this crucial away fixture.

The Opposition:

Barton Town have had a fairly strong season up to this stage, with the side currently sat in 10th place, a much improved status following their 14th place finish last season.

This position currently leaves the ‘Swans’ on a comfortable 42 points, with only a point being needed to match their total from the entirety of the previous campaign.

There have been some very impressive results to go along with this position, including a 2-0 triumph over promotion chasers Golcar United and most notably, a 1-0 win against league leaders Silsden AFC back in September.

The club’s fortunes in cup competitions have also been reasonable, with them enjoying a run to the Emirates FA Cup First Qualifying Round that included a spirited victory from behind over Northampton ON Chenecks, alongside a run to round three of the NCEL League Cup.

Leading Barton’s goal charts is Thomas Waudby, who has managed an impressive 15 goals in all competitions, whilst Ali Spencer Aydemir sits behind him with a respectable 11 goals to his name so far.

Previous Meetings:

Thackley and Barton’s meetings last season came early in the campaign, with both meetings taking place during the summer time of the 23/24 season.

The first of these saw the Lincolnshire club pick up a narrow 1-0 victory, with Daniel North’s penalty being enough to seal the points for Barton.

The return fixture at Dennyfield however was a much tighter affair in terms of the goal scoring, with Thackley able to emerge victorious by a 3-2 scoreline after a brace from Tom Greaves and a goal from Liam Hudson cancelled out the early lead taken by the visitors.

Ground Description and Directions:

The Easy Buy Stadium has a capacity of 3000, with enough room in covered areas for 540 spectators, whilst 240 of that consists of the club’s seating capacity, so there’s plenty of room if you want to be out of that cold Humber air

The ground has a clubhouse and catering facilities offering the usual selection of food and beverages.

Being south of the Humber estuary, the ground is difficult to reach on public transport from Thackley, with Scunthorpe and Hull offering the nearest frequent train services, whilst Barton upon Humber station operates less frequently, leading to inconvenience.

If coming from north of the Humber estuary: Barton upon Humber is the first exit on the A15 after the Humber Bridge.

If coming from south of the Humber estuary: It is the last exit before the Humber Bridge. Then: Exit the A15 and follow the A1077 into the town. At the bottom of the hill turn right at the mini-roundabout onto Holydyke and stay on the A1077 through the Market Place (Old Mill pub on the right) towards Barrow upon Humber, past Baysgarth School (on the right), turning next left onto Falkland Way, going past Wren Kitchens (on the right). The entrance to the ground is at the end of Falkland Way at the junction with Pasture Road.

(Directions Credit: NCEL website)

Admission Prices:

Adults: £6
Concessions: £4
Under 5s: Free with adult
Dogs allowed on a lead.

(Admission Prices Credit: NCEL website)