Whitchurch Alport and Market Drayton target FA Vase progress
Whitchurch Alport will be hoping for more FA Vase success when they host Coalville Town tomorrow (3pm), writes Dan Hickey.
Alport reached the fourth round of national competition last season and made it all the way to the quarter-finals in the 2021/22 campaign.
Coalville are currently 12th in United Counties League Division One, making high-flying Midland Premier outfit Alport the favourites for this second-round tie.
“We'll be ready, and obviously it's an FA Vase competition at our own grounds,” said manager Adam Shillcock. “So let's pack it out and let's have a bit of fun.”
Off the back of a midweek win against struggling Wolverhampton Casuals, Shillcock explained his reasoning for making four changes to the starting line-up.
“I've complete trust in the in the whole squad,” he said. “We need to keep people ticking over and they need to get in 90 minutes where they can because we want a long, hard season.
“We want to go deep in competitions, and we want to go deep in the league.
“So, you know, when the pitches start getting heavy and the workload starts getting bigger, we've got to be smarter and that was the thinking tonight.”
Market Drayton Town are also in FA Vase action as they host Bourne Town in the second round. Bourne play in step five, however Drayton go into the match in great form, having scored 19 in their last four games.
Manager Dan Dawson said it's probably going to be ‘their toughest match in the Vase so far’.
A win for Shifnal Town could see them climb into the Midland Premier play-off place as they face bottom-of-the-league Uttoxeter Town, who haven’t won in eight games.
Before Shifnal’s midweek loss to Studley, they had won their previous three league matches and currently sit sixth, six points off second with two games in hand.
In Midland One, AFC Bridgnorth travel to Chelmsley Town. The Meadow Men are riding high after turning around their previously winless season and earning four consecutive home victories.
Home side Chelmsley are now a point behind Bridgnorth in 21st, having just lost to league leaders Bilston Town.
Manager Jack Griffiths said: “We're not going to take them lightly. We're just going to go into the game like we have the last four games, with that confidence, and just take the game to them.”
Shawbury United are hosts in Saturday’s only North West Counties Division One South game as they face bottom-of-the-league Runcorn Town.
United are four points ahead of Runcorn going into the relegation six-pointer, however a win would move Shawbury out of the relegation places.
In Hellenic League Division One, Ludlow Town travel to mid-table Tytherington Rocks. Although both sides sit on 19 points, Tytherington have won one of their last five games.
Telford Town have scored 10 in their last two games as they prepare to host fourth-placed Tipton Town. The two sides have already faced each other this season in a Premier Division League Cup game, which Tipton won on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
However since the early October cup fixture, Telford have been unbeaten in 12 as they look to defend the top spot.
