"Bucks looking to beat the Blues in return to league action"

Match Date : November 2nd, 2024 3:00 pm
Competition : Southern League Premier Central
Ground : New Bucks Head
Kick Off : 15:00

The Bucks are back in league action this weekend, when Bishop’s Stortford will be the visitors to the SEAH Stadium.

After winning the Isthmian Premier League title in 2022-23, the Blues were placed in the National League North for the 2023-24 – much to the consternation of the Hertfordshire club, who are located within a stone’s throw of London Stansted Airport. With a sharp increase in the amount of travel time, manager Steve Smith had to recruit an almost entirely new squad and Stortford subsequently struggled in their new surroundings. The Blues finished rock bottom with just 21 points from their 46 games, scoring 35 and while racking up a sizeable 112 goals against.

The disappointing campaign led to Smith stepping down as manager after eight years in charge, although he still plays a very active role in the club given that he is the majority shareholder. Presumably, Smith played a key role in picking his successor, former Royston Town manager Steve Castle. Ex Orient, Plymouth and Peterborough midfielder Castle was in charge of the Crows for a decade, where he enjoyed a largely successful spell before departing the club last December.

Stortford have had to recruit heavily again this summer, with Castle bringing in a mix of youth and experience. Youngsters in the form of keeper Roraigh Browne and midfielder Jack Taylor arrive from Watford, while former Royston forward Kian Harness, who scored for the Crows in February’s 2-2 draw with the Bucks, has followed Castle to Woodside Park. Other notable signings include full back Cole Dasilva from Bedford Town, and defender Jake Thopmson and midfielder Bradley Russell, who both join after good seasons with Brightlingsea Regent. Thompson now captain’s Castle’s side, while Russell has hit five goals for the Blues in the league. Fan favourite Ryan Charles is another dangerman for the Blues.

However, after a pretty positive start that saw the Blues pick up 14 points from their first eight games and progress through three rounds of the FA Cup and one round of the FA Trophy, Stortford come into Saturday’s match on a run of five defeats in a row. It’s a sequence that has seen the Blues slip into the relegation zone, while the most of those losses was a 6-1 home drubbing at the hands of Step 4 Felixstowe and Walton United.

This weekend’s fixture is, remarkably, the Bucks’ first Saturday home game in the league since we faced Hitchin Town on 17 August. Kevin Wilkin’s men will be looking to build on last weekend’s solid showing at Mickleover, and the Bucks could well jump back into the top five with a win this Saturday.

MATCHDAY INFORMATION

Tickets for Saturday’s fixture will remain on sale up until kick-off and are available for purchase online in advance. See our ticketing page for further details.