A 4-0 victory over Newark & Sherwood United stretched the visiting Wakes winning streak in all competitions to eleven games. Six of those eleven have come in United Counties League Premier Division North action and it has allowed the Wakes to force themselves right into the title mix alongside Eastwood Community and Lincoln United. Up to a 3-1 victory at Eastwood on the 16th of November, Bourne had been going about their business in rather understated fashion. Defeat at Wisbech Town on the 15th of October was just a third defeat of the league campaign for the Wakes and came off the back of them scoring a ridiculous 24 goals in three games, including a 12-3 win at home to Dunkirk FC in the Knockout Cup and a 2-10 triumph at Appleby Frodingham in the Lincolnshire Senior Trophy.

As is probably quite clear by now – the Wakes success’ has been centred around goals, something of which they are not short, particularly in Zac Allen and Will Bird who are the leagues two top-goalscorers sat on 29 and 21 goals respectively. Staying power remains the key challenge facing the Wakes as they approach the second half of the campaign as they continue the fight on four fronts after FA Vase progression at the hands of Northampton ON Chenecks last weekend. They’ll particularly look at how their current title rivals Lincoln United flagged last season after enjoying a similar mid-season run of form – and will lean upon the experienced management of Mike Goode and players such as Zak Munton and Richard Jones to lead the charge as they face up to a hectic New Year schedule.

If the Greens are to stir the pot and cause an upset though, they’ll do so with a string of key men absent from proceedings. Star man Ben Robson headlines those absentees, his accumulation of yellow cards landing him a one-match suspension that will see him out of Saturday’s contest. He’s joined on the absence list by captain, Finlay Armond who is unavailable for both today’s clash with the Wakes and the upcoming derby encounter with Boston Town on Boxing Day. Elsewhere Ben Ashall looks set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines after he picked up a knee injury during last weekends 3-2 defeat to Belper United, while Jack Arbon has suffered a frustrating setback in his rehabilitation from a long-term knee ligament injury and looks set for his own spell back on the treatment table.

There is promising news elsewhere though with Sam Greenwood’s impending return from a work-related absence coming in the nick of time for a Greens side heading into Saturday’s contest with threadbare numbers. That has forced manager Matt Evans to dip into the market this week to bring in striker Will Hollingsworth and winger Benjamin Zalewski ahead of Saturday’s contest – with both expected to be thrust straight into action. Evans will hope a positive impact can help the Greens to channel more of the performances displayed in last few games, particularly in last weekends 3-2 defeat to Belper United where the Greens looked odds on for a resounding 3-0 defeat before late goals from Jack Eden and Ollie Fields saw the Greens throw the cat amongst the pigeons in the final 10-minutes.

Admission to The MKM Ground (NG34 7ER) on Saturday afternoon is priced at £7 for adults and £4 for concessions, with under-sixteen’s free (alongside a paying adult). We also offer a military discount for those in the armed services, and this grants you entry at £5 upon production of a valid ID. Cash and card can be accepted at both our turnstiles and at the hot food counter which serves a variety of hot and cold drinks and snacks. Our matchday programme can be found on our website or social channels in the lead up to kick-off, but for those who prefer a printed memento, you can pick up a complimentary teamsheet at the turnstiles or in the bar. Saturday’s match referee is Kieron Salmons, and he is assisted on the day by Jonathan Clayton and Chris Giles. Kick-off at Eslaforde Park is scheduled for 3:00pm.