By Lucas Monk
Shepshed are looking to respond to a heavy defeat at the hands of Ilkeston Town in their last outing - one that effectively ended their hopes of claiming the Midland Football League title.

Despite securing crucial wins over Sporting Khalsa (2-1) and Dunkirk (2-1) in recent weeks, Damion Beckford-Quailey’s side went down 4-1 at the New Manor Ground and the Robins raced clear at the top. Truth be told, they had already handed themselves an almost insuperable task after enduring a poor run of form that included defeats to Romulus (0-1) and Stourport Swifts (0-2), and the aim must now be to lay the foundations for next season with a strong finish to the campaign.

A win over third-placed Westfields, whose own title hopes have been left in tatters after a poor run of form, would be an ideal start in meeting that target. And there is plenty to be sanguine about ahead of this encounter. Fields have won just twice since the turn of the year and once in their last five matches, and have had to contend with the departure of Jamie Molyneux to Halesowen earlier this week. Dynamo, meanwhile, have lost only one in their last four matches, and recently added former Leicester Nirvana manager Dave Clay to their backroom team.

Notwithstanding the travails of both sides since the turn of the year - Shepshed have won just one more game than Westfields in this time - the match is still poised to be an intriguing encounter. The last three games between the two sides produced 22 goals altogether, and so there is a good chance of The Dovecote bearing witness to another cracker.

The most recent fixture between these two teams ended in a 4-1 victory for Westfields at Widemarsh Common in August last year. This match, you feel, may well be more of a close-run thing. Dynamo will look to the in-form Jordan Wilson and the returning Karl Whymark and Chris Acott, whilst Fields will hope that John Mills and Aidan Thomas can make the difference for them.

Did you know? Westfields adopted their colours in tribute to West Ham United, as the club’s founders admired Bobby Moore, Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst. All three players were part of England’s victorious World Cup squad in 1966 - the year in which Westfields were founded.