The Planters go into Saturday’s game away to Maldon & Tiptree still looking for their first point of the new season. With the FA Cup defeat at Clapton meaning that last Saturday saw no game it is almost two weeks since the league defeat at home to local rivals Dereham Town.
Steve Eastaugh will be delighted to have Tim Henery back in his squad after the busy midfielder has returned from holiday. He will also be hoping to include defender Matt Brown after he missed the Dereham defeat through injury, but he will have to do without skipper Andy Eastaugh who received a red card in the same game.
The Planters have signed up David Nicol-Wilson a 19 year-old defender formerly on Dagenham & Redbridge’s books.
Whilst having played both Maldon Town and Tiptree United many time in the Eastern Counties League the Planters first met the merged club in August last year when we won 2-0 at home through goals from Jamie Speller and Remi Gordon, however the return trip to Essex in October saw Andy Wilton make a string of fine saves before two late goals saw us fall to a 3-0 defeat.
The Jammers having led the league for a long spell missed out on promotion last season seeing Brightlingsea Regent overhaul them for the automatic place and then lost the play-off final to Thurrock 1-0 despite having home advantage. The Jammers seem to have lost the majority of their players since we last played them, only Matt Lock from our last meeting featuring in their FA Cup replay 4-3 defeat at Hayes & Yeading in midweek.
Our hosts sit just one place and three points above us with one win from their three league games. A 1-0 win at Ware on opening day was followed by a 3-2 home defeat against new boys Hertford Town before falling to a 5-0 defeat at early pacesetters Heybridge Swifts.
For those of you travelling to the Wallace Binder Ground the postcode is CM9 5JQ and kick-off is at 3pm.