Preview: Pinchbeck United (H)

Long Eaton United return to league action on Saturday afternoon when Pinchbeck United take the trip down to Grange Park in the United Counties League Premier Division North.

The Blues come into this match off the back of a heart-breaking Emirates FA Cup Third Round Qualifying exit, as they fell to a 3-2 defeat to step-three side Stratford Town.

Keiran Walker’s poked effort gave the Blues an early lead. Five minutes later, the hosts levelled through Enoch Andoh before Will Grocott put Stratford in front mid-way through the first half. Romaine Graham equalised in the 36th minute, although Lewis Wilson netted the winner with seven minutes left to play.

Pinchbeck head into this game looking to get their first league victory since Saturday 11th September – their game mid-week away against Anstey Nomads could have been an opportunity for the Knights to return to winning ways, although that match was postponed due to heavy rainfall.

Therefore, the Knights’ previous match saw them lose 4-1 at home to Melton Town, in which Krisztian Gagyi grabbed the hosts’ only goal and Zak Munton, Paul Anderson, Leon Fray and Ryan Robbins netted for Melton.

Previous Meetings –

Looking back into the history books, Long Eaton United and Pinchbeck United have never met in any league or cup competition before.

The Knights are in fact relatively new to competitive football above step seven – founded in 1958, they had competed in the Peterborough & District League for almost 60 years, up until 2017/18 when Pinchbeck made their debut in the United Counties League Division One.

Pinchbeck were crowned champions of that division at the end of the 2017/18 season, and have competed in the Premier Division of the United Counties League for the past three seasons, two of which were abandoned.

The Blues will therefore be ready and raring to go ahead of the first visit of the Knights to Grange Park on Saturday afternoon.

Managers Quotes -

Looking ahead to the match against Pinchbeck United, Ian Deakin said: “We will be ready to go against Pinchbeck – we know that they are going to be a good side and are going to have quality, so we will not underestimate them.

“The league is our bread and butter, that’s the thing for me as a player, when I played – that is the one you want to win more than anything because that is the slog over the entire season.

“So, going into that game, that is exactly where our mindset is at.”

Coming into the match off the back of the Blues’ first defeat and a tough Emirates FA Cup exit, Deakin was adamant that it would not play on the players’ minds at all, he added: “It is already forgotten about in my eyes, we cannot do anything about it now.

"They will be ready to go Tuesday in training, we will work on a few things that I have seen today [against Stratford Town], and I want to get them better at, which is, of course, all part and parcel of football.”

“It is great to have a cup run and earn a few quid, but realistically we are not going to get any further than the fourth/fifth round max, especially with the big national league teams that enter in the next round.

“It is always nice to play against bigger teams, but the bread and butter for us is the league, the lads know that, so we will be ready to go come Saturday.”

Team News –

Alex Marshall will be available for selection against Pinchbeck, after serving his one-match ban against Stratford Town last weekend, for a red card he received, as a result of two yellow card offences against Bedworth United on Saturday 18th September.

Ben Hutchinson will also be available for selection - the Blues striker missed Long Eaton’s previous two matches due to being cup tied.

New Loan Signing Freddie Pitts will be looking to earn his first Blues appearance since arriving from Mansfield Town last week.

Blues manager Ian Deakin will have a full squad at his disposal as we look to extend our unbeaten league run to seven matches.

Ticket Information –

£6 Adults
£4 Concessions
U16s FREE with a paying adult

£2 Matchday Programmes

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

Entry can only be purchased at the gate with cash; however, card and cash payments are accepted at the bar and at the kitchen.

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