Tomorrow afternoon, we are back on the road as we travel to Penistone Church looking to make it back-to-back away victories in the NCEL Premier Division.
Last weekend saw the Badgers get themselves firmly back on track with a terrific performance and a deserved victory away at Albion Sports. After a difficult few results, it was exactly the response we needed and we now head to Penistone looking to carry that momentum into another tough away fixture.
There is very little separating the two sides going into the game. Both ourselves and Penistone sit on nine points with an identical +1 goal difference, although tomorrow’s hosts have played one game fewer after their involvement in the FA Vase.
Of course, the Badgers have no Vase fixture to worry about just yet. Thanks to our impressive run in the competition last season, we have received a two-round exemption and will enter the competition at a later stage.
Penistone endured a difficult opening to the campaign with back-to-back league defeats, although their opening fixtures were far from straightforward as they came up against Campion and Dearne & District. Since then, The Church have found their form.
They started August with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Parkgate before following that up with a 2-1 win against Thackley and a thrilling 3-2 victory over Frickley Athletic. That means Penistone have won every league game they have played during August and will be determined to finish the month with that record intact.
The Badgers, however, will have other ideas. Their league form has been impressive, although cup competitions have brought less success. Penistone exited the FA Cup following a 4-1 defeat against Liversedge before also falling to a 2-1 defeat against Stockport Georgians in the FA Vase.
Last season saw The Church finish 13th in the NCEL Premier Division, a steady campaign following several seasons where they had been competing much closer to the play-off positions.
We had to go back a fair way to find the last meeting between the two clubs. The most recent fixture we could find came almost ten years ago, in October 2016, when the sides met in the NCEL League Cup. Penistone came out on top that evening with a 2-1 victory.
A lot has changed since then and tomorrow brings a completely different challenge, with two sides level on points and both looking to establish themselves further up the table.
After last weekend’s performance at Albion, the Badgers will travel with renewed confidence and the aim of bringing another three points back to Cannon Park.
It has all the ingredients for another tasty affair.
See you there, Badgers!
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