Match Preview

This week Thackley play a rare Thursday night fixture when they travel to their local rivals Liversedge for a rearranged league game. Sedge are coming to the end of an hectic period of fixtures, twelve games in just over three weeks, after suffering quite a number of postponements during the season. They have already played this week, beating Handsworth comfortably to win through to the final of the League Cup at Bramall Lane, when they will play either Bridlington or Mansfield on Monday 21st May, One has to sympathise with the fixture scheduled they have been given. However, although they lost their two previous games, they had won all but one of their previous eight and that was against the newly crowned League Champions Pontefract Collieries. Those victories have assured them of a finish in the top half of the table.

Liversedge have been in the Premier Division since 1991, so there have been many ‘derby’ games over the years, both teams see these as must win matches. This season’s encounter at Dennyfield in August was a typical example; the game finishing all square after Thackley grabbed a very late equaliser. The scorers that day were Joe Walton (Sedge’s top scorer) and Devonte Morton for Liversedge, whilst Joe Hughes and Sam Cable notched for Thackley.

Thackley have had a gentler run in than their opponents, playing just twice a week over the last month and they have struggled somewhat. After four consecutive victories they have won just twice in their last nine games. They have found goals hard to come by in that time scoring just six from eight games before Saturday when they scored four against Rainworth. They are now safe from relegation but will want to finish as high up the table as possible. A win will lift them to a respectable fifteenth position in the table. Thursday’s game is the final NCEL game of the season and is likely to be a fiercely competitive affair that is if the Liversedge players have any energy left.