The Match Background

Two weeks on from their opening day, 1-0 victory over Hucknall Town, the Greens will be looking to upset the early applecart and register six points from six for the second campaign running. They’ll face a tough test though with Eastwood the side enjoying the early lead of the Premier Division North table, and in some style too, winning their first two games 8-1 (at Harrowby United) and 5-0 (at home to Shirebrook Town). The Greens then will need all the defensive nous and quality they’ve shown so far this campaign – not least evident during Wednesday’s Emirates FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round tie with Wellingborough Town – the Greens keeping their step four opponents at bay through a tricky extra-time period with 10-men. The Greens were to ultimately fall on penalties to the Doughboys on Wednesday evening, though there is much to take from what was a mammoth FA Cup tie, most notably the Greens ability to fight back from adversity, thrice falling behind across the two games and responding on each occasion. And to level the playing field, they’ll face up to an Eastwood side who were also taken to 120 minutes in FA Cup action in midweek against Coleshill Town.

Team News

Player/Manager Tom Ward will be forced into changes ahead of Saturday afternoons clash with the Red Badgers, not least because himself and his Captain Charlie Ward will sit out the remainder of their league suspensions this weekend, both having featured in the FA Cup over the past week. Ward will check on the fitness of both Harrison Ainslie and Ryan Flitton who limped off during Wednesday’s FA Cup tie, while the clash at Coronation Park might well also come too soon for Kyle Watkins, who is stepping up his return from a hamstring problem picked up during pre-season. There could be a welcome return to action for Cameron Hill after a suspension of his own, whilst the retribution for Joe Smith’s red card on Wednesday evening will not kick-in until next week – making him available for selection on Saturday.

The Opposition

Determined to see through their tag of one of Premier Division North’s pre-season favourites, Eastwood have steamrollered into the new season with confidence and quality. An 8-1 opening day victory at Harrowby United had eyebrows firmly raised and they followed that up in midweek by scoring five more at home to Shirebrook Town. The league table may mean little at this stage, but Community do sit atop of it nevertheless and are one of just four sides left standing on maximum points alongside the Greens (3) and both Boston Town and Heanor Town (6). It means then, that somebody will drop points for the first time this season on Saturday afternoon and if it’s not to be the Greens, they’ll need to display much of the defensive rigidity and character they’ve displayed so far this season.

With a firm emphasis on getting the ball forward quickly and making use of a pacy forward line, the Red Badgers have married that quality by strengthening significantly at the back over the summer. That involved adding the vastly experienced Jake Wright from last season’s Premier Division North champions Sherwood Colliery, himself not the only title-winner to make the move south, Ricky Starbuck doing similar. Wright’s experience at the very top of the English game – he was a Championship promotion winner with Sheffield United just five years ago – will prove vital to the Red Badgers hopes this season, as will the addition of the experienced midfield head of Rob Norris who lists a successful spell at Lincoln United amongst many other Northern Premier League outfits. Add to that a core of last seasons squad that includes top-scorers Tyler Blake and Derek O’Connor – who already have six goals between them in two games – and it becomes clear as to why the Red Badgers are tipped to do well.

It's worth remembering though that the Nottinghamshire outfit began last season with similar vigour and hope and they ultimately faded badly after Christmas, winning just three of their last sixteen games in all competitions. That saw Community slip out of not only the title race, but out of the play-off race altogether and their race was pretty much run even when they did defeat the Greens in early April at the MKM Ground. Nevertheless, an 8th placed finish, just four points off the play-offs, was a marked improvement upon the season before when Community were fighting relegation for much of the campaign. That sustained improvement comes down in the most part to ambitious Chairman Lee Wood who has set his sights on returning the club to the National League in the next 10-years – a level from which Community’s predecessors, Eastwood Town collapsed from. Last season may well have been a false start, but there’s quiet confidence in this pocket of Nottinghamshire, that that rise is finally about to begin.

Previous Meetings

The two sides have been regular opponents over the past couple of seasons and it has been, for the most part, a rivalry far more agreeable to the Red Badgers than it has been the Greens. Having opened up the 2022/2023 campaign at Eslaforde Park with a 1-0 win – Joe Butler’s goal the difference between the two sides – the Greens followed that up in December 2022 with a frustrating 0-0 stalemate at Coronation Park during a period of sustained struggle for the hosts. The two sides then met again early on last season at Coronation Park where the Greens were sunk within fifteen second half minutes, Marcus Marshall and Ryan Tait having the Red Badgers well on their way to victory by the hour. The Greens consolation on that occasion coming from the boot of Ryan Rushen in front of 213 spectators. The Nottinghamshire outfit then repeated the trick in the Greens penultimate game of the campaign, ending any hopes of play-off football with a hard-fought 2-1 win. Ryan Lennon had put the Greens in front early on in front of 166 supporters at the MKM Ground, but a quickfire brace from Tyler Blake saw Community in front at the break – a scoreline that would not be changed in the second period.

The Match Details

Admission to Coronation Park (NG16 3HB) on Saturday afternoon is priced at £7 for adults and £5 for concessions, with under-sixteen’s free (alongside a paying adult). Food and drink is available in the ground and the clubs matchday programme will be available at a £1.00 a copy. Saturday’s match referee is Daniel Ghent, and he is assisted on the day by Lee Harrison and Colin Marshall. Kick-off at Coronation Park is scheduled for 3;00pm.

Words; Oliver Atkin