Brackley boss Jon Brady believes Saturday’s FA Trophy showdown at Guiseley will be a useful scouting mission for his side.
The Saints head to Nethermoor Park hoping to fire an early warning shot across the bows of their Blue Square Bet North rivals.
The teams are currently separated by two points at the top, with Brackley currently occupying top spot and Guiseley third.
But none of that will matter this weekend as both teams look to land the knock-out blow in the first round of the Trophy.
And while claiming the win is Brady’s main aim, he will also use the game to check out the Lions, though the sides don’t meet in the league until March.
“It’s a really tough draw but we’ll use it as a positive,” said the Saints supremo. “We will really get to have a good look at Guiseley.
“It’s a good opportunity to see a team we haven’t played against before.
“From what we’ve heard we know they play very good football, they’ve got lots of pace and are a very good attacking unit.
“They’ve also got a goalkeeper (Steve Drench) who can hit the centre forward with a side volley and anyone who can do that is a bit special.”
But though he is wary of the threat Guiseley will pose, Brady retains full belief in his own players after their fine recent run.
The Saints have maintained their early-season surge, winning their past four games, the latest of which was the 4-1 demolition of Stalybridge Celtic at St James’ Park last Saturday.
And Brady said: “I’m always confident in our boys. We’re not overconfident but we’re working extremely hard and we’re in good form.
“We’ve had a really good month so far and if we could go to Guiseley and get a good result it would cap it off nicely.”
DAVENTRY TOWN
Daventry Town boss Darran Foster is hoping to hang on to Michael Bryan for as long as possible after the Northern Ireland winger scored on his league debut last weekend.
Bryan, who has two international caps to his name, has made appearances for Watford and Bradford during his short career.
The 22-year-old winger had a trial at Cobblers during the summer but after being an unused substitute in the friendly against Derby County, he was snapped up by Brackley.
And he is now gaining some vital experience at Daventry.
“He’s brought a different dimension to us,” said Foster.
“If we can get him fit we’ll have a decent player.
“He got an ankle injury last season and was meant to join Gillingham but he’s come here and he’s a smashing lad.”
Foster will hope Bryan can impress again, as he did in the 2-0 win against Chertsey last weekend, when Daventry host Aylesbury on Saturday.
KETTERING TOWN
Alan Doyle believes Kettering Town “need to start winning soon” if the more positive vibes around the club are to stay for the long-term.
The troubled Poppies renew their search for a first Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division success when they take on Bedworth United at Corby Town’s Steel Park on Sunday.
A new agreement between Kettering and the Steelmen will see the Poppies’ next two ‘home’ matches played in Corby with Nene Park still unusable due to the power being cut off.
Doyle has at least managed to get a team on the pitch for Kettering in their last three league games but all have resulted in defeats before the rot was stopped with a 3-0 success at Wellingborough Town in the NFA Hillier Senior Cup on Tuesday night.
That game marked the return of winger Jamie Griffiths, one of the players who didn’t leave the club during their financial crisis, following a groin injury and he opened the scoring before Tim Singh-Gill and Harry Beckley completed the victory.
Doyle believes Griffiths’ return is a big boost for the Poppies.
But the manager knows the better atmosphere around the club will be wiped away unless his team start finding league wins, especially with the fact that they already destined for relegation with them being a huge 19 points from safety,
The good-feeling that has returned in the short-term also comes against a backdrop of confusion as talks apparently continue between majority shareholder Imraan Ladak and mystery potential investors.
Ladak has not spoken out on the current situation for some time now, leaving fans and volunteers alike wondering what will happen next.
But Doyle, as ever, is concentrating on trying to get the best out a young squad of players that continue to represent the club for nothing.
“From my point of view, we need to start winning games soon,” the Kettering boss said.
“I probably get more demoralised than anyone with not picking up victories and the fans will soon feel that way as well, if they haven’t already.
“I think everyone understands the circumstances. We have a squad with the average age of around 20 who are here for nothing.
“But the nature of football is that you need to win matches. No-one wants to come and watch a team that is losing every week, regardless of the other issues.
“It was nice to get a win at Wellingborough the other night and fair play to them because they didn’t look like a team struggling at the bottom of their division.
“We played another game, scored a few goals and won so that can only help.
“There were some lads who have been on the fringes of the team who played and did well.
“But Jamie Griffiths coming back is probably the biggest boost we can ask for.
“We had only planned to give him 60 minutes but he played 90 and came through it without any problems at all, which is great. He will be ready for Sunday.
“It will be another tough game. But we will do all we can to get that much-needed win.”
CORBY TOWN
Chris Plummer wants Corby Town to make progress in the FA Carlsberg Trophy on Saturday.
The Steelmen take on Blue Square Bet South side Hayes & Yeading United in the first-round tie at Steel Park as they look to extend their unbeaten run to seven in all competitions.
Plummer was delighted to see his team show their resilient side as they fought back for a 1-1 draw with high-flying Oxford City last weekend.
And the Corby boss believes the long process of turning his team into one that can move into the top half of the table is nicely under way.
“It is a big game for us on Saturday,” Plummer said.
“It is a cup competition and we want to do well in it.
“There is always a bit of added excitement on these occasions.
“But we are in a for a very tough day. Hayes are going well in their league, they won 3-0 (against Chelmsford City) on Tuesday night and there is obviously a big catchment area in London for players. Any London team will always be pretty strong.
“But we are beginning to show that, on our day, we can match anyone at this level. We will need our A-game again on Saturday that is for sure.
“The pleasing thing is we are moving in the right direction and I think the Oxford game showed that.
“We want to be in the top half of the table and challenging up there.
“But it is a long process that we have started.
“But there are signs that things have turned for us a little bit.
“Now we have to keep it going and hopefully it will attract a few more fans to come along and see what we can do.”
Should Saturday’s clash end in a draw, the replay will be at Woking’s Kingfield stadium, where Hayes play their home matches, on Tuesday night.
But should there be a definitive outcome, the Steelmen will head to Chester for their re-arranged league game on Wednesday evening.
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