Stocksbridge v Witton: preview (From Northwich Guardian)

Witton Albion seek to extend wins sequence on the road when they visit Stocksbridge Park Steels

10:47am Friday 11th January 2013 in News By Andrew Simpson, Senior Sports Writer

Stocksbridge Park Steels v Witton Albion (Kick off 3pm)
Evo-Stik Northern Premier League Premier Division
Venue Look Local Stadium, Bracken Moor Lane, Stocksbridge, Sheffield, S36 2AN
Referee Nigel Smith (Clay Cross)
Admission Adults £8, Concessions (NUS/OAP) £6, U16s £2
Odds (bet365) Stocksbridge 3/1, Draw 14/5, Witton 4/6

Stocksbridge (from) Parisi (GK), Scott (GK), Bowden-Lovell, Darker, Haigh, McIntosh, Swirad, Turner, Bettney, Callery, Goff, Hamshaw, Knowles, Senior, Joynes, Payne, Ring, South, Thewlis, Todd
Doubtful n/k
Injured n/k
Suspended Agus, Mitchell (both one match)
Disciplinary (up to end of December) Y41 R4
Top scorer Danny South (13)
Form (Past six home in league) L D D L L W
Record (home) P11 W1 D3 L7 F18 A28 Pts6
Record (overall) Pos20 P26 W4 D6 L16 F39 A62 Pts18

Witton (from) Cooper (GK), Booth, Clayton, Gardner, Glover, Ben Harrison, Andrews, Hancock, Jamie Harrison, James, Shaw, Sheehan, Foster, Meechan, Moseley, Tuck
Doubtful Andrews (dead leg)
Injured Wood
Suspended none
Disciplinary (up to end of December) Y27 R1
Top scorer Shaun Tuck (16)
Title odds (Bet Victor) 16/1
Form (Past six away in league) W W W L L W
Record (away) P10 W6 D2 L2 F22 A14 Pts20
Record (overall) Pos3 P23 W12 D5 L6 F47 A33 Pts41

Match pointers
WITTON head to Stocksbridge seeking to extend a perfect record on the road against teams in the table’s bottom half.

Albion’s current sequence on their travels –successive wins at Rushall, Eastwood and Blyth Spartans – is their best of the season.

Brian Pritchard’s men have an extra incentive to bring home a first maximum points haul of the New Year too after back-to-back draws against Nantwich and Ilkeston.

The manager hopes Danny Andrews shakes off a dead leg to play, although Mathew Wood is out through injury. Josh Glover stands by.

Pritchard’s primary dilemma is whether to recall Shaun Tuck to the starting line-up, or to stick with a 4-5-1 formation used in the 2-2 tie with the Robins last weekend.

Tomorrow’s hosts have won only one of their past 15 Evo-Stik Northern Premier League matches in front of their own supporters, a 3-0 victory against Rushall Olympic back in October.

The last team to lose at Bracken Moor before that was Worksop Town in March.

Rock-bottom Eastwood Town are the only team to have conceded more goals than Stocksbridge on their own pitch this term.

Play-offs hopefuls Hednesford and Marine have both been held to draws in Sheffield by Darren Schofield’s team, who lost five of their first six home games in the current campaign.

Tommy Agus serves a ban this weekend, so Stocksbridge will be forced to make at least one change from the side that came from behind to beat Eastwood last Saturday.