Match Preview

Match Preview – Gresley Rovers (H)

Long Eaton United play host to Northern Premier League Midlands Division side Gresley Rovers in the Derbyshire cup on Tuesday evening.

In United’s previous match, they were on the end of a disappointing 4-1 away defeat to Bromsgrove Sporting at the Victoria Ground.

Tristan Dunkley opened the scoring for the hosts in first half stoppage time, but the Blues were quick to reply through George Atwal at the start of the second half.

However, David Solademi, Conor Tee and Elliott Ball all scored late in the second half, whilst United were reduced to ten men with the dismissal of Riece Bertram, which meant the game grew beyond reach of the Blues.

The Opposition –

Gresley currently sit on 18 points after 24 league games so far this season, which sees them sat 18th place in the Northern Premier League Midlands Division.

In their previous fixture, the Moatmen secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over bottom of the table AFC Rushden & Diamonds away from home.

John King netted a brace for Gresley, with Jack Ekins-Tyson grabbing the other goal for the visitors after Rushden & Diamonds were reduced to nine-men with the dismissal of Jacob Scott and Jarvis Wilson.

Thus, the Moatmen will be loooking to carry that momentum into Tuesday’s nights Derbyshire Senior Cup match at Grange Park.

Previous Meeting’s –

The last time that the Blues and the Moatmen met in a competitive fixture was back in April 2022, on the final day of the 2021/22 season which clinched Long Eaton the United Counties League Premier Division North title.

Former Blue Reco Fyfe scored two early goals at Grange Park to carry United to a 2-0 victory and promotion into the Northern Premier League East Division.

That victory ignited a fantastic 2022/23 season for the Blues, which saw them clinch back-to-back promotions and secure a spot in the Southern Football League Premier Central.

Prior to the start of the 2023/24 season, United featured in a friendly with Gresley at Grange Park and that match also ended 2-0 in favour of the Blues.

Two more former Blues James Taylor and Luke Cox both netted first half goals on that day to kickstart pre-season for United.

Manager’s Quotes –

Focussing on personnel ahead of Tuesday evening’s Derbyshire cup clash, Blues’ boss Brad Munn said: “Our injury situation is not ideal, I am hoping to have players recovered and bodies through the door before Tuesday, but I don’t want to rush anyone back.

“As a player, you want to play as much as possible, but you have to be honest with yourself sometimes and understand whether you are actually able to play or not. I’d rather have someone that is tired playing on 20% over someone that is injured attempting to play at 100%.

“I want to keep the lads on the pitch that are going to fight until the 90th minute, but sometimes you’re forced to make changes.”

With the return of Ryan Campbell-Gordon in mind, Munn added: “He [Campbell-Gordon] came back at the weekend and he played more minutes than I wanted him to, especially just coming back from injury, but he looked good and has been training extremely well.

“We will keep an eye on him over the next few days ahead of Tuesday’s match, but I want him back in the starting 11 as quickly as possible, because he’s a long-term project for me.

“Getting him back, getting a few more bodies at full capacity and getting a few fresh faces through the door will hopefully give us that spark – we will be ready to go on Tuesday and of course we will give it a good go.”

Match Details –

Long Eaton United vs Gresley Rovers
Cawarden Derbyshire Senior Challenge Cup
Tuesday 9th January 2024 – Kick-Off 7:45pm

Grange Park (Long Eaton United)
Station Road
Long Eaton
Derbyshire
NG10 2EF

Ticket Information –

£8 Adults
£5 Concessions
£2 U16s

The match kicks off at 7:45pm and we advise all supporters to arrive early to avoid any queues of delays.

Card payments are preferred and accepted at Grange Park, although cash payments are still accepted.

Car Parking is available at the ground and is free, although it is subject to availability – ample parking is available in the surrounding area.

Finally, the team lineups will be announced via the tannoy prior to kick-off, and you can also find them on our official Twitter/X page, where there will also be live updates from the match.