The first of what we hope will be many FA Cup matches for the Bucks this season arrives on Saturday, 19th September, when we entertain Worksop Town in a second qualifying round tie, kicking off at 3 pm.
It will be our second meeting of the campaign with the Tigers, who defeated the Bucks 2-1 in Nottinghamshire on the season’s second weekend.
The Bucks have found more of a groove since then, whilst the Tigers have recorded a couple of recent victories following a run of four straight defeats, so both teams will feel this is a winnable tie.
Last Season
The Tigers exited the FA Cup at this stage last season, defeated 3-2 at Harborough Town.
The Bucks progressed past Kidderminster Harriers, securing a 3-1 victory to start a run that eventually took them to the first round.
Recent Form
The visitors sit in 14th place in the Enterprise National League North, three points ahead of the Bucks after the same number of matches.
The visitors started the season with back-to-back victories but then lost four straight to tough opponents: Hebburn Town, Hereford, Spalding United and Oxford City. A 1-0 victory at Marine got them going again, but they suffered a home defeat to Bedford Town before a 2-0 home win over Southport last weekend.
The Tigers have scored nine goals and conceded twelve, but their two clean sheets in their last three matches suggest that, like the Bucks, their improved results are down to better defensive work.
They have been kept off the scoresheet on three occasions.
Top Scorers:
Vaughan Redford - 3
Kian Harratt - 2
Ryan Viggars - 2
Aleks Starcenko -1
Lewis Whitham - 1
Facing the Bucks
The Tigers squad blends established club servants, seasoned professionals and emerging talent.
In goal, new arrivals Max Dearnley and Josh Render will battle for the starting position. Captain Andrew Boyce leads a defence rich in know-how, supported by long-serving Deegan Atherton, vice-captain Josh Wilde, Bailey Gooda, Mason O’Malley, Rollin Menayese and promising newcomer Jay Abudu.
The midfield combines creativity, goals and resilience. Aleks Starcenko and Vaughan Redford have each passed 200 Worksop appearances, while experienced player-coach Sam Wedgbury supplies leadership. Boston United loanee Liam Waldock brings a proven scoring threat, Sam Essien adds energy and ball-winning ability, and teenager Alex Russell steps up from the reserves after an encouraging pre-season.
Worksop’s forward options are varied. Chae Whitman-Brown provides pace, Lewis Whitham returns after an 11-goal first season, and Oli Greaves arrives with EFL and non-league experience after scoring eight times in 18 Worksop appearances. Ben Hatton and Wales youth international Ryan Viggars add potential, while Kian Harratt brings promotion pedigree and Wembley success. Local favourite Ben Tomlinson remains an influential player-coach after a prolific career.
Here’s how they lined up in last week’s 2-0 victory over Southport.
GK: Dearnley
D: Atherton, O’Malley, Menayese, Boyce.
M: Essien, Redford, Starcenko.
F: Waldock, Viggars, Whitham.
The Boss
After a playing career as a goalkeeper with Barnsley, Halifax Town, Bradford Park Avenue, Goole, Garforth Town and Pontefract Collieries, Craig Parry moved into management with Pontefract. He led the Colls to successive promotions into the NPL South East and later reached another promotion final, losing to Brighouse Town.
Appointed Worksop Town manager in May 2020, Parry endured a COVID-curtailed campaign before delivering sustained success. Worksop finished eighth and won the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup in his first full season, then captured the NPL East title during a record-breaking campaign.
In the NPL Premier Division, he guided the Tigers to the play-offs and another Senior Cup victory. The following season brought his greatest achievement at Worksop: promotion through the play-offs alongside a third consecutive Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup, completing a notable league-and-cup double and underlining his reputation for building competitive, successful teams.
Colours
Bucks:
Shirt: White
Shorts: White
Socks: White
Tigers:
Shirt: to be confirmed
Shorts: tbc
Socks: tbc
Match Officials
Referee: Brandon Scaife.
Assistant Referee: Jacob Widdowson.
Assistant Referee: Simon Gudger.
Fourth Official: Daniel Simmons.
How to Follow
If you can’t be at the game, you can follow the events in several ways.
The Live Game Centre on our smartphone app and website will have live text updates.
Our X feed on social media will also carry text commentary, whilst our Facebook and Instagram feeds will provide updates on major events, such as team news, goals, and the half-time and full-time scores.
If you have the app, you’ll receive notifications of every goal, as well as the half-time and full-time scores.
Finally, BBC Radio Shropshire will provide live match commentary on DAB and on the Sounds app.