Next up - Hemel Hempstead Town home on Tuesday, 1st August at Wodson Park, SG12 0UQ, Herts Charity Cup Round 1. Kick off 7.45pm.

Admission - £8 adults, £4 concessions

Karagul's landmark game?

We have met Hemel Hempstead eight times in the Charity Cup. Strangely, although we have been playing them since 1904 when they were known as Apsley, Charity Cup meetings didn't start until the semi-final of February 1966. A 5-3 win in front of 348 paying customers took us into what at the time was our third ever final. Hemel had never reached the final at that point but they made amends the following year though only to lose 1-0 against St Albans City.

In total we have made it to nine finals but have yet to win the trophy whilst Hemel have been successful in three of their seven final appearances including a 2-1 win over us in 2009.

Despite that defeat, meetings between us in the competition have so far worked out fairly evenly with three wins apiece and two draws going to 5-4 penalty shoot out victories once for each club. Ware have scored 15 goals in these matches and conceded 14.

Before the change of venue this was scheduled to be just our second away meeting with Hemel in the Charity Cup. The first and only one was our 2-1 win in 1997's second round match with goals from Owen Raisborough and Lee Tekell.

Since those days Hemel have progressed through the pyramid and are now plying their trade in the National League South. Last season saw them finish in midtable with 15 wins and defeats from their 42 games. They made no progress in last season's Charity Cup, ceding their game with Cheshunt who went on to the final and a 3-1 defeat against Hitchin Town.

This will be Ware's first competitive game since the last day frustration of what at the time was relegation from the Isthmian League. Supporters will be looking to see how Kem Kemal's prestige signings perform in a competitive match as we seek to have a better season this time round.

Should Murat Karagul be one of those selected for this game it will be his 200th competitive appearance for Ware. This is his third spell with the Blues having first played in 2010 during which he scored the first of his 40 goals for the club.

Our record against Hemel Hempstead in the Charity Cup:-