"Bucks aiming to outplay Bards on New Year's Day"

Match Date : January 1st, 2025 3:00 pm
Competition : Southern League Premier Central
Ground : The Arden Garages Stadium, Knights Lane, Tiddington, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 7BZ
Kick Off : 15:00

The Bucks will be hoping to kick off 2025 with three important points, when Kevin Wilkin takes his men to Warwickshire to take on 5th-place Stratford Town.

The Bards missed out on the playoff places last season by the narrowest of margins. Stratford finished 6th, missing out on the top five on goal difference alone having ended level on 69 points with 5th-placed Mickleover. And after that near miss, Town are again challenging at the top end of the table this season.

The Bards have continued their push for promotion despite the departure of boss Gavin Hurren and assistant Lee Vaughan, who left for Hednesford Town in November. In fact, under the caretaker charge of Paul Davis and Chris Hussey, the Bards have kicked on, picking up 13 points from a possible 18 – a run including wins over Stamford and an improving Bishop’s Stortford, as well as a very creditable 3-3 draw with leaders Kettering on Saturday despite being down to ten men for more than half the game.

The Stratford squad remains largely the same as last season. Lively forward Owen James has impressed since arriving from North Leigh, while former Rushall keeper Jake Weaver adds some promotion-winning knowhow in goal. Perhaps the Bards most important signing of the summer, though, was the re-signing of goal getter Callum Ebanks. The dangerous striker finished as the division’s second highest scorer with 23 goals last season, and this term he has so far found the net nine times.

While the Bards have by far the division’s best away record (25 points from 11 games), they have one of the worst home records (12 points from 11) having picked up only two wins on home soil this season. That said, Stratford have only lost three of those games, so Knights Lane isn’t an easy place to take all three points away from.

The Bucks have three wins from three against the Bards since dropping down to Step 3. Kevin Wilkin’s men have won both home games 2-1, while the Bucks ran out 3-0 winners at Knights Lane in February. Despite some frustrating recent draws, the Bucks are now six unbeaten and will be looking to further boost their promotion credentials with three crucial points on New Year’s Day.

MATCHDAY INFORMATION

Website: www.stratfordtownfc.co.uk

Ground Address: The Arden Garages Stadium, Knights Lane, Tiddington, Stratford upon Avon, CV37 7BZ