Riece Bertram, as an unorthodox striker, opened the scoring with a calm and composed finish in the 33rd minute to give the Blues a narrow advantage at half time.

Then, Joe Nyahwema netted early in the second half, just before George Atwal made it three and Bruno Andrade grabbed a consolation for the hosts late on to confirm the Blues as victors away from home.

The Opposition –

Alvechurch currently find themselves 16th in the Southern Football League Premier Central after 27 games played, just four places ahead of the the Blues, but with an 18-point advantage, as The Church have registered eight victories, eight draws and 11 defeats thus far in the 2023/24 season.

In their last outing, The Church had to settle for a disappointing 1-1 draw with fellow relegation candidates Berkhamsted at Lye Meadow.

Dylan Allen-Hadley gave Alvechurch a one goal lead heading into half time, but The Comrades were quick to respond in the second half through Thomas Newman to ensure the points were shared in Worcestershire.

This weekend’s visitors to Grange Park will therefore be looking to return to winning ways, whereas the Blues look to make it two league victories on the bounce.

Previous Meeting’s –

The last time that the Blues and the Church met was in the reverse fixture back in September 2023, where Alvechurch secured a 2-1 victory over a struggling Blues on home soil.

Ben Cassidy gave the Church an early lead, however, Morgan Worsfold-Gregg netted the Blues an equaliser in first half stoppage time to ensure the score remained level at the break.

Although Jaanai Gordon’s early second half strike turned out to be enough to secure all three points for the Worcestershire-based outfit and earn them consecutive league victories in the space of four days, as they overcame Leamington in during the week prior.

Before this season, the two sides last met during the 2016/17 season where they both competed in the Midland Football League Premier Division.

Lye Meadow played host to the Blues on 28th March 2017 and the travelling United side secured a shock 2-1 victory over that seasons MFL Premier Division champions.

Romaine Graham and Matthew Savage were the goal-scorers for the Blues on that day, to cancel out Reece Shilvock’s first half goal and secure all three points for Long Eaton away from home.

Manager’s Quotes –

Reflecting on last weekend’s victory, and carrying that momentum into Alvechurch, Blues’ boss Brad Munn said: “I want to see a continuation of the desire to win three points, because we know we have quality when games stretch out, and when we simply give ourselves a chance to be in games.

“Let’s see that intensity, let’s see that desire, and hopefully, with those two put together, we can allow our quality to come through and ultimately get us something from the game.

“We need to get the three points, we are only going for three points, and I am happy to sit here and say that because we have to at this point, there is no other way around it.

“But my biggest reflection is last weekend – we have had a long, tough season, and they deserved to enjoy that victory last weekend, because they were at it, and every single part of the performance last week was almost faultless.”

With just a nod to this weekend, Munn added: “Looking at our next fixture, we know Alvechurch are a tough side, but we need to go into that game with the expectation that we need to win three points.”

Match Details –

Long Eaton United vs Alvechurch
Pitching In Southern Football League Premier Central
Saturday 10th February 2024 – Kick-off 3:00pm

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

Ticket Information –

£11 Adults
£9 Concessions
U16 Members go FREE with membership card (limited to one member per paying adult)

£2.50 Matchday Programme

The match kicks off at 3:00pm and we advise all supporters to arrive early to avoid any queue or 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 line ups 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.