MATCH PREVIEW | Stockton Town v Chester-Le-Street Town

STOCKTON TOWN VS CHESTER-LE-STREET TOWN

COMPETITION: Durham Challenge Cup First Round

DATE: Tuesday 10^th October, 2023

KICK-OFF: 19:45

ENTRY: £5 Adult, £3 Concession (tickets available online or at the gate)

GROUND: MAP Group UK Stadium, Bishopton Road West, Stockton-On-Tees, TS19 0QD

LIVE UPDATES: @stockton_townfc – Twitter

Stockton Town begin their Durham Challenge Cup campaign when they host Chester-Le-Street Town.

This the only other competition the Anchors are competing along with the league after they exited the FA Trophy at home to Bootle in the Second Qualifying Round.

They will be looking to build on a quality second half performance at Ashington which saw them end as 4-1 winners.

It was also huge boost as Shane Henry returned to the pitch after he was side lined since April 2022.

Last season Stockton reached the Quarter Finals of the Durham Challenge Cup before they were defeated by Dunston UTS.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

This is the first competitive meeting between the two clubs. They did meet in a Pre-Season Friendly ahead of Stockton’s debut season in the Northern League.

30 Jul 16- Stockton Town 5-1 Chester-Le-Street Town- Pre-Season Friendly

FORM GUIDE

Stockton Town: W W L L W

Last Game: Ashington AFC 1-4 Stockton Town

Chester-Le-Street Town: W W L L L

Last Game: Chester-Le-Street Town 3-1 Blyth Town

THE OPPOSITION

Chester-Le-Street Town are currently sixth in Northern League Division Two with 28 points from 16 games.

They are under the management of Steve Bowey who took charge almost a year ago. In his debut season he guided the club to 14^th place.

Like Stockton, Chester-Le-Street Town have also won back-to-back games. Last time out they came from behind to beat Blyth Town.

Striker Aaron Hardy is the player to watch for the Cestrians. The summer signing has already hit ten goals for the campaign.

VIEW FROM THE OPPOSITION

Looking ahead to the game, Chester-Le-Street Town manager Steve Bowey said:

“It’s a bit of a free-hit for us. Stockton are two leagues above us and it’s going to be a difficult game.

“We have got a big squad and I can rotate the squad. The lads who haven’t played minutes can play on Tuesday night.”

“We should be going there with the right attitude. It will be difficult but we are more than capable of putting on a show.”

PRE MATCH QUOTES

Looking at the task in hand, First Team Coach John Fielding said:

“It’s a Durham Cup game and we’ll look to put out a strong side. We will see how everybody is.

“We said we would like to have a good run in it. It’s a good competition.”