Beverley Town Football Club will be hoping to put their cup disappointments behind them as they return to league action this weekend.
Dave Ricardo will be looking for a reaction from Beverley who were dumped out of the East Riding Senior Cup by Bridlington Town, a result that left the Beverley boss feeling disappointed.
On Saturday, Beverley, the HPL Champions and second in the league travel to Hull University to take on the current leaders Reckitts AFC, the only side to have beaten Town in the Humber Premier League this season.
Reckitts left the Norwood Recreation Ground with the win after an Adam Nicholson Mistake Gifted them all three points sparking what has been an amazing response from Beverley who have since enjoyed an incredible run of form in the league.
Town are 13 points behind Reckitts in the race for the championship but do have six games in hand on their rivals and have not lost a game in the league following the loss to Saturday’s opponents back in November.
Since that defeat, Beverley have put a strong set of results together winning seven consecutive league games to keep the pressure on Reckitts, the early pace setters.
Reckitts have played ten league matches since the last meeting between the clubs and have eight wins, one draw and a defeat to show for their efforts amassing 25 points from a possible 30 putting them in a commanding position at the summit of the table.
Pace will play a key element against an ageing Reckitts side, a fact that is not lost on Town manager Dave Ricardo, he said;
“We will go to Hull and look to attack Reckitts from the start using our pace to get at Reckitts, our speed and youthfulness will be key in this encounter. We are going there to be positive are are not looking to sit back or park the bus to get a draw, our intention is to win.”
Any talk of Town needing to win the match in order to stay in the title race was dismissed by Ricardo, he feels the pressure is on Reckitts to win, he said;
“If we come away with all three points, then I would say Beverley will have one hand on the trophy. Reckitts need to win, they need the points, it is a must-win game for them but not for us. We have plenty of games to get the required points. ”
Ricardo has hinted he will be looking to change the formation and protect his squad as they go into a hectic fixture schedule. Jamie Waltham and Daniel Kingsly Jnr are both missing, but Jamie Forrester is available for selection.
Over the next two weeks, Beverley Town will have to complete six matches one of which includes a regional cup final as they look to clear their fixture back log, Ricardo said;
“We are now at the business end of the season. It’s all about the squad now others will start to understand why we have so many quality players here at Beverley. It is to handle this type of situation, one that comes with success.”
“The fact we have to play all these games is testament to the quality of the team. We have competed on so many fronts this season and still maintained a title challenge, you don’t achieve that without a good quality squad.”
“When Michael O’Connell tucked away the penalty to send us into the final of the Northern Senior Cup Final we were not thinking about the fixture back log, we are thinking about winning, its a good situation to be in.”
“For me winning the Humber premier League for the second consecutive season remains mine and the clubs number one goal. It is in our hands all we need to do is deliver the results by winning our games in hand and we will be crowned champions.”
“The success so far this season with all three of our teams shows that Beverley Town Football Club are a force to be reckoned with. We have strength and depth like never before and that is why all three teams are challenging at the very top of their respective leagues.”
Our Verdict
This is going to be a very tough game for Beverley Town. Reckitts are a side that ooze experience and have the Humber Premier League leading scorer, Jamie Bradshaw (27 goals) in their ranks. Previous meetings between the sides have been close affairs with the odd goal in it. Reckitts have the slight edge with past results in recent times but Town are a different prospect these days, and they need to win games like this if they are to reinforce their status as the top club in the league. Town will most certainly need a big performance from their skipper Michael O’Connell and good defensive performance to restrict Bradshaw’s chances if they are to come away with something from the game.
Score Prediction
Reckitts AFC 1 Beverley Town 1
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