KICKOFF COUNTDOWN - HEDNESFORD TOWN
A poor-quality contest took place at the F Ball Community Stadium on Tuesday with neither side being able to create the winner in a match that ended as a 2-2 draw between Leek Town and Hyde United. Leek grabbed the lead 36 minutes into the game with Lucas Weir scoring in a goal mouth scramble following a corner. However, just 4 minutes later, Hyde found their equaliser with Matt Fearnley scoring his first goal for The Tigers with a shot that took a heavy deflection off Cullen Meadowcroft wrongfooting Dino Visser resulting in the sides going in 1-1 at the break.

The Blues struggled early in the second half and fell behind to a wonderful strike, which gave Fearnley his second of the night and it felt like we had no response in open play. Fortunately another set-piece paid off as a corner sent in found Conor Heath heading home to draw Leek level in the 77th minute. Tensions boiled over late on when the same player looked set to race clear on goal but was cynically halted by a Hyde defender Taylor McMahon who escaped with only a yellow card, a decision that sparked widespread anger among the Leek contingent. The match ended 2-2, an overall fair result, however Leek will have felt hard done by some of the referee’s decisions. 

An earlier moment of tension broke out when Ndene was severely injured by a Hyde Utd player in a reckless challenge and he once again got away with only a booking on 17 minutes.

Our upcoming match sees us face Hednesford Town who won their previous match 2-1 versus Stockton Town.

The True-Blue Army will Assemble At?
For any travelling Blues, your journey begins when you head onto the A523 (Macclesfield Road) and follow it out of Leek. Continue via a series of B-roads and A-roads including Ellastone Road, Ribden Road, the B5030, A518 and A460, passing through several roundabouts along the way.

Remain on the A460 (Hednesford Road) as you approach Cannock, before turning onto Hill Street (B4154) and then Keys Park Road, which leads directly to Hednesford Town Football Club.
 
We will be wearing our away kit of all yellow

How much to get in?

• Adult: £13
• Concessions £10
• 17-16 £10
• Children (10–16): £5 (must be accompanied by a paying adult)
• Under 10s: Free (accompanied by a paying adult) 

The Opposition

• Hednesford Town FC – The Pitmen
• Formed – 1880
• Ground – Keys Park (capacity - 6,000)
• Gaffer – Gavin Hurren 

Their website?
Hednesford Town

How are they doing?
The Pitmen have worked their way into second place 25 games into the season with 14 wins, 6 draws and only 5 losses. This puts them only one point behind the league leaders Hebburn and they are currently 3 points ahead of FC United in third showing how tight it is at the top.

This is Hednesford’s first season back in step 3 since they were relegated in 2022/2023 season. They have assembled an excellent squad and indeed signed 4 of the Leek Town squad who were crowned NPL West Champions in 2023/24, however promotion is the minimum they should they expect given the investment in the squad and depth of signings.

Their Main Man?
Ahkeem Rose is one of Hednesford Town’s standout attacking players this season as he’s currently the leading goalscorer for the Pitmen with 9 league goals. He’s a player who previously played in the EFL with Grimsby Town appearing 34 times but could only manage 3 goals at that level. He has however enjoyed productive spells across non-league and Scottish football most notably at Weymouth from 2021 to 2023 where he scored 16 goals while with the club. At 27, Rose is in the middle of the prime of his career and is having an amazing season with Hednesford so far in this campaign.

Their Gaffer?
Gavin was appointed First Team Manager of Hednesford Town in November 2024. He joined the club from Stratford Town FC, where he had built a reputation in non-league football for dealing with adversity, being able to steady the ship during difficult times. His familiarity with the non-league landscape and his previous experience playing for clubs including Kidderminster Harriers and Hednesford Town itself has helped him connect with the club’s history, culture and ambitions as he leads the Pitmen forward. 

Before becoming a manager, Hurren was a professional footballer, primarily featuring as a midfielder. He played during his career for clubs such as Kidderminster Harriers and had a stint with Hednesford Town on the pitch as well, giving him first-hand insight into the club he now manages. His playing days provided a strong foundation in the game and continuity into his coaching career.

Hednesford Town FC – have we met before?
The Blues and Pitmen have played each other a recorded 21 times with the first of those arriving in 1980, which saw Hednesford knock Leek out of the Staffs Senior Cup 2-1. Overall, there’s an even split of wins between the two sides with both sets of fans seeing their club win 9 times and draw 3. Hednesford have scored just three more goals (33) than Leek (30) of the 21 games leaving an average of 3 goals a game!