Preview: Coleshill Town (H)

Long Eaton United face adversaries of the past on Saturday afternoon when Coleshill Town travel down to Derbyshire and Grange Park in the Emirates FA Cup First Round Qualifying.

Ian Deakin’s side head into this cup tie off the back of a 2-0 league victory over Heanor Town at The Town Ground on Bank Holiday Monday – a result that earned the Blues their fourth consecutive league win of the season.

Alex Marshall opened the scoring with a determined poked effort from point-blank range whilst under pressure from Jake Carlisle, and Blues captain Romaine Graham doubled the advantage with a half volley that bounced in off the post, assisted by a Keiran Walker bullet throw, nonetheless.

The step four side look to continue their run of good form, as they currently sit third in the Northern Premier League Midlands Division, with their most recent match ending in a 1-0 victory away to Sutton Coldfield Town at the Central Ground.

Coleshill Town’s new signing Sam Moore, previously of league rivals Eastwood CFC, was the only goal scorer on that day.

Previous Meetings –

The Blues have never, in their 65-year history, faced Coleshill in the Emirates FA Cup before, however, they have met in a cup competition previously – back in the 2013/14 season when Coleshill Town took the trip down to Grange Park in the Buildbase FA Vase Second Round and walked away as 2-0 victors.

That victory saw Coleshill take on Holwell Sports away from home in the next round and win 3-1, before exiting in the fourth round after a 2-1 defeat to Dunston UTS at the UTS Stadium.

However, in more recent times, Long Eaton United and Coleshill Town did share the Midland Football League Premier Division together for four seasons – from 2014 to 2018.

The last time both sides met at Pack Meadow was in January 2018 and the Blues fell to a 7-1 thrashing, thanks to a hat-trick from James Hicks, a brace from Joseph Smith and single goals from Reece Leek and Matthew Gardner.

Former Blue Rackeem Reid was the only goal scorer for Long Eaton, and favourably, no current Blue featured in the squad on that day.

Unfortunately, the last time both sides met at Grange Park the outcome was not great for the Blues either – a 5-0 defeat in the league back in November 2017.

A Jordan Nadat hat-trick and goals from Ryan Edmunds and Luke Edwards put the game to bed and helped carry Coleshill to second in the table and to gain promotion into the Northern Premier League Division One South.

Managers Quotes -

Looking ahead at what is going to be a tough match against opposition in the league above, Ian Deakin said: “Going into that match, nothing changes – we will go in to try and win it like usual.”

“We have players returning from suspension and from injuries so hopefully I will have a full quota to choose from.

“It has been a tough week, where fitness levels have been tested, but we will train on Thursday, and they will be prepared and ready to go.

“Like I said, it is a cup game, so we have to try and win it. I know they are a good side, they will be strong, so it should make for a very good game.”

When asked whether he was knowledgeable on Coleshill, Deakin added: “I do not really know a great deal about Coleshill to be honest, but I have had some reports on them and of course they are a step above, so I know they are going to be good.

“But we will prepare as we do – we will go out there and try and play our way, we will give 110% and I am sure we will go out there with the determination and mindset to try and win it.”

Team News -

Blues defender Mitchell Robinson will now be available for selection after serving his three-match ban, in which he received after a straight red card against Skegness Town earlier in the season.

Danny Gordon also looks set for a return to action, after missing out on the Blues’ 2-0 victory over Heanor Town on Monday due to a slight calf injury he sustained over the weekend.

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.