STOCKTON TOWN VS SCARBOROUGH ATHLETIC PREVIEW
COMPETITION: Isuzu FA Trophy Second Round
DATE: Saturday 16th November, 2024
KICK-OFF: 15:00
ENTRY: £11 Adult, £9 Concessions, £5 11-18-year-olds, £3 under-11’s
Tickets can be purchased via the link- https://stocktontownfc.ktckts.com/event/fatropstfcscar/scarborough-athletic-fa-trophy
GROUND: Stockton Town FC, MAP Group UK Stadium, Bishopton Road West, Stockton-on-Tees, TS19 0QD
LIVE UPDATES: @stockton_townfc – Twitter/X
LIVE COMMENTARY: Anchors Radio (mixlr.com)
Stockton Town face a huge test on Saturday when they host National League North Scarborough Athletic in the Izusu FA Trophy Second Round.
The Anchors are in the Second Round for the first time and come into the game following back-to-back defeats in the league to Ashton United and Basford United.
Michael Dunwell’s men were unfortunate to lose out to Ashton, and created plenty of opportunities before they were hit by a two-minute sucker punch which swung the game in Ashton’s favour.
On Tuesday night, they were beaten by a Basford side that fully deserved their win. Stephen Thompson’s first minute opener was cancelled out by Jordan Hallam’s equaliser and then Ash Chambers won it for Basford in the second half.
Basford did miss a penalty which allowed Stockton a final flurry to get back into the game but they were unable to find parity.
The game ended with an unfortunate injury for Josh Scott who pulled up with his hamstring. He is more than likely to miss Saturday’s game.
THE OPPOSITION
Scarborough Athletic are competing in their third straight season in the National League North and are 17th with 20 points from their opening 15 league games.
Despite the status as a Step Two club, they have yet to advance past the FA Trophy Second and were knocked out by Chorley this time last season.
They did enjoy cup success in midweek as they ran out 7-0 winners over Thornaby in the North Riding Senior Cup. Mansfield Town loanee Alfie King marked his debut with a brace.
That was the Seadogs first win since a 1-0 win over Marine in late October- three matches prior.
Attacking midfielder Dom Tear has been the main man for Scarborough this season. The former Blyth Spartans has bagged seven goals in 15 games.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Stockton Town and Scarborough Athletic have met in Pre-Season Friendlies but this is the first competitive meeting between the sides.
08 Jul 22- Scarborough Athletic 1-3 Stockton Town- Pre-Season Friendly
16 Jul 23- Stockton Town 1-1 Scarborough Athletic- Pre-Season Friendly
FORM GUIDE
Stockton Town: W W L L L
Last Game: Basford United 2-1 Stockton Town
Scarborough Athletic: W L L L W
Last Game: Scarborough Athletic 7-0 Thornaby
VIEW FROM THE OPPOSITION
Scarborough Athletic Assistant Manager Michael Ingham said:
“It’s a difficult place to go (Stockton), I look at them similar to what we are at our level. They are a hard working and physical team.
“We need to get the FA Trophy hoodoo out of the way and get one over the line.”
PRE-MATCH QUOTES
Speaking ahead of the game, Michael Dunwell said:
“It’s a big game. It’s the furthest we have been in the Trophy.
“Scarborough have just been in the FA Cup First Round and they are having a bit of a topsy turvy time in the league at the moment, so they’ll be looking forward to the break too.
“It will be a tough game and I expect it to be a close game. I expect us to be a lot better than we were tonight (2-1 defeat at Basford)”
