The Blues head into this match off the back of a heart-wrenching 4-2 defeat which saw Long Eaton exit the Emirates FA Cup at the hands of step three side Gainsborough Trinity.

Former Birmingham City striker Clayton Donaldson scored the only goal of the first half with a deflected effort that arrowed into the top right corner, but Rod Orlando-Young scored late in the second half to take the game to extra time.

Liam Waldock re-established the Holy Blues’ lead midway through the first half of extra time, just before Long Eaton were reduced to ten-men as Kameron Campbell was shown a second yellow for a late challenge on George Hornshaw.

Curtis Durose netted Gainsborough’s third ten minutes into the second 15, and an Isaac Rice own goal gave hope for a Blues comeback, although Donaldson slotted home his second and Gainsborough's fourth to secure their place in the Third Round Qualifying of the Emirates FA Cup.

The Opposition -

Our visitors make the short journey down the M1 to Grange Park and come into the match in solid form.

Loughborough currently sit 2nd in their league with six wins and two defeats after eight matches played, and they of course won in the previous round of this competition as goals from Kevin Bastos, Robert Norris and Princewill Ogunmekan helped them overcome Corby Town by three goals to one.

The Moes did in fact have quite a rough start to the season, as they exited the Emirates FA Cup in the Extra Preliminary Round due to a 2-0 defeat to Skegness Town, and then they lost their first league match with a 1-0 defeat to Boldmere St Michaels.

Although ever since then Dynamo have been ruthless, and in their last match they overcame Corby Town away from home thanks to goals from James Tague and Kevin Bastos that secured a 2-0 victory in the NPL Midlands Division.

Previous Meetings –

As Loughborough Dynamo have consistently competed in the Northern Premier League since 2008, and made quick passages through regional leagues, the Blues and the Moes have never competed in the same league despite being only 15 miles apart.

The last time both sides met however was during the 2020/21 season, during the Blues’ record-breaking Buildbase FA Vase run, when Dynamo travelled to Grange Park for a mid-season friendly.

It was an eight-goal-thriller as Long Eaton won 5-3 thanks to a brace from James Shaw, and goals from Tom Marshall, Kameron Campbell and Ryan Bache. The visitors' three goals came through Karl Demidh, Evan Garnett and Andre Williams.

That of course means very little due to that season being a null-void season and both sides have made drastic changes since that match.

Although, the Blues and the Moes have met in a competitive fixture before – the 2003/04 FA Vase – with Long Eaton competing in the Northern Counties East League at the time and Dynamo competing in the Leicestershire Senior League.

That Second Round Qualifying match was once again played at Grange Park and the Blues came out as 2-0 victors before losing to Daventry Town in the next round.

The Manager’s Quotes -

“This team is not used to losing games, so they take it personally, but they will come out swinging again, because that is what they do”, Ian Deakin said after the Blues’ Emirates FA Cup exit in mid-week.

“You have to bounce back after tough defeats, there is no other way, but they do that because this team has real endeavour and a real desire.

“There is some real character around the squad, as you could see on Tuesday night because even at the end when we are 4-2 down, Bradders [Brad Wilson] is going up for a header and trying to win the ball back so he can launch an attack.

“I am confident that the lads will bounce back – we have a really strong squad, so we will have to see how the lads are at the end of the week and then pick a squad going into Saturday against Loughborough, but the beauty about football is that there is always another game around the corner.”

Mentioning his previous experience with Dynamo’s management team, Deakin added: “I played with Lewis [McGugan] at Nottingham Forest when we were younger and obviously Brad [Munn] in non-league, so I know them both well – they were two really good players in their day, and they will look to try and play football on Saturday.

“They will come with the same kind of work ethic that we have got, but every game is tough and like I said before we are going to have to assess the squad and see how everyone is.

“However, we will go out into that match on Saturday looking to try and win it. As you saw on Tuesday night, we will keep going and keep pushing and that is all you can ever ask of the players, so yes, we are looking forward to the match.”

Match Details -

Long Eaton United vs Loughborough Dynamo
Isuzu FA Trophy Second Round Qualifying
Saturday 24th September – Kick-Off 3:00 pm

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

Ticket Information -

£9 Adults
£7 Concessions
£3 U16s

£2.50 Matchday Programme

A reminder that due to this match being a cup fixture, season/player passes are not valid.

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

Card payments are preferred and accepted at the bar, at the kitchen and for entry into Grange Park – although, cash payments are still accepted!

Also, you can see the team line-ups on our official Twitter, where there will also be live updates from the match.