The Blues were given a bye in the First Qualifying Round to kick-off our FA Vase run, but in the Second Qualifying Round Long Eaton walked away as convincing 4-1 victors against fellow Midland Football League (MFL) Premier Division side Selston.

Ian Deakin’s side head into this rearranged fixture in brilliant form, being unbeaten in their opening eight league matches so far this season. However, the Blues have not played since Saturday 17th October, due to several league and cup postponements occurring over the past few weeks.

That means the most recent Long Eaton result was a 2-0 win over current MFL Premier Division leaders Sporting Khalsa at Grange Park. Kameron Campbell opened the scoring in the 7th minute, and the match was finally put to bed through an added-time strike from Mitchell Robinson.

Studley earned their place in the First Round Proper, after beating Hinckley AFC 2-0 away from home and then overcoming West Midlands Regional League side Darlaston Town by three goals to one in the inaugural qualifying rounds.

The MFL Division One side comes into this match off the back of a 2-1 league defeat to Ashby Ivanhoe at the Beehive. Kyle Perry’s goal was the only positive the home side could really take from that affair.

Previous Meetings/Background Info –

Both sides were meant to play each other in the FA Vase at the weekend, however, Studley had to postpone due to a waterlogged pitch.

There is no record in the past 15-20 years of the Blues and the Bees playing against each other, therefore this may well indeed be both sides first-ever meeting, so instead, here is some info on the hosts:

Studley FC were founded in 1971 by David Robinson, but back then, up until 2002, they were known as B.K.L due to the team being mainly made up of employees from BKL Fittings.

The hosts go by the nickname ‘The Bees’ and currently play their home matches at the Studley Sports Centre, or as they like to call it ‘The Beehive’, which has a maximum capacity of 1500.

Their first team currently play in the MFL Division One and have done since 2014/15 – before that, they spent one season in the Midland Football Combination and 11 seasons in the Midland Football Alliance, since their renaming.

The Bees were amidst their best league run last season, before it was null and void, as they had won 18 matches, drew five and lost four, which put them in third with 11 league matches remaining.

Currently, Studley sit 12th out of 19 with ten games played, and their top goal scorer is Mark Magee, who has scored five goals in nine matches so far this season.

The clubs best FA Vase run came in 2003/04 when they were beaten 2-1 by Gosport Borough in a Fifth Round Replay, however, the Bees have not made it into the Second Round Proper since 2008/09, therefore they will no doubt be up for what should be a tough match.

Team News –

The Blues are slowly but surely returning to a full fit squad, and this rest will have helped the recovery of Danny Gordon, Jordan Wheatley and James Taylor.

Recent signing Jake Askew will look to make his second appearance for Long Eaton, after keeping a clean sheet against Sporting Khalsa in his first match.

Jamie Walker will miss out on our FA Vase tie; therefore James Shaw, Alex Marshall, Kameron Campbell and Charlie Wilde will travel and be our attacking options.

Matt Baker and Jude Brittain will not travel either after both players departed the club for Gainsborough Trinity and Corby Town respectively last week.

Ticket Information –

£6 Adults
£4 Concessions

(Only purchasable on the gate)

The match kicks off at 7.45 pm and we advise all our travelling fans to arrive as early as possible to avoid any queues or delays. (COVID-19 travelling restrictions apply)

There are COVID-19 safety measures around the ground; one-way systems and suitable social distancing guidelines, so please ensure these are followed to keep everyone involved safe.

A reminder that this will be the Blues last match before ‘Lockdown 2’, and matches will be put on hold until Friday 4th December at the earliest.