The first fixture of September takes the Bucks to East Yorkshire to meet Scarborough Athletic in a Saturday 3 pm kick-off.
Kevin Wilkin’s side will travel seeking a maiden league victory in a campaign that has not yielded the desired results so far. They will go up against a Seadogs side that is 50/50 so far this season, with three wins and three defeats from six matches.
The Scarborough Sports Village is the more precise destination, with the Seadogs returning to Scarborough after a season-long sojourn playing their home fixtures in Bridlington.
The replacement of the 3G surface at the SSV revealed structural issues beneath the pitch, and the works required to correct them meant the Seadogs had to find a temporary home while it was carried out.
Scarborough are now in their fifth season at Step 2 following their promotion through the Northern Premier League playoffs in the 2021/22 season.
They achieved their best finish in the division last season, finishing sixth and securing a play-off position for the first time; however, they were defeated 4-2 in their play-off eliminator fixture at Buxton.
Ins and Outs
The Seadogs squad from last season has largely remained in place, though one notable departure was striker Stephen Walker. Last season’s top scorer, the signing from Whitby Town completed a two-season jump from Step 3 to Step 1 when he joined Yeovil Town in the summer.
Only three summer arrivals came aboard, with full-back Jack Waldron, on loan to the Seadogs from Sheffield United last season, completing a permanent move. Also moving to the SSV were wingers Mo Fadera, from York City, and Luke Hall, from Woking.
Squad
Goalkeeper Ryan Whitley is once again the last line of defence, with captain Will Thornton likely to be part of a central defensive pairing alongside Jake Hull. Kieran Weledji can deputise in central defence but is more commonly deployed at full-back, with Alex Brown, Michael Duckworth and Waldron as the other FB options.
In midfield, look out for Lewis Maloney, Alex Wiles and Dom Tear to provide the offence whilst Alex Purver plays as the more defensive-minded option. Luca Stuttard can also operate as the deeper-lying player in the centre of the park.
Going forward, Fadera and Hall have started the season strongly, as has Rio Allan. Luca Colville can supplement the attacking options; however, Harry Green is a long-term injury absentee.
Form
The Seadogs have two home wins and one home defeat to date, with one away victory and two losses on the road.
They began the season with a 1-0 defeat at the SSV to South Shields, but a week later were involved in one of the craziest games of the season so far, winning 4-3 at Hednesford Town. Trailing 3-1 with around 15 minutes to go, an Allan penalty and Hull’s 87th-minute leveller were followed by a winner from Allan in the sixth minute of added time. Theforward’s penalty kick was saved by Sam Hornby, but Allan was quickest to the rebound to secure an astonishing away victory.
Allan scored twice more in a 3-0 midweek home win over Spennymoor Town, but was followed by a 2-1 defeat at Chorley. The Seadogs then hit the goal trail again with a thumping 5-1 win at the SSV over Southport last Saturday. Fadera got the ball rolling with two goals, and Allan closed it out with two more goals, Hull snatching the goal in between the two braces.
Hopes of a Bank Holiday weekend double were dashed by a 3-1 defeat at King’s Lynn Town on Monday, with Fadera opening the scoring before the Linnets replied with three of their own.
Top Scorers
Rio Allan 7
Mo Fadera 4
Jake Hull 2
Luke Hall 1
The Boss
Manager Jonathan Greening has overseen their promotion from the NPL and every season in the National League North to date. Appointed in May 2021, the former Manchester United midfielder, who has a UEFA Champions League winners’ medal, returned to his native Yorkshire after a playing career that also took him to York City, Middlesbrough, West Bromwich Albion and Fulham.
Colours
Seadogs:
Shirt: Red
Shorts: Red
Socks: Red
Bucks:
Shirt: Black
Shorts: Black
Socks: Black
Match Officials
Referee: Luke Hood.
Assistant Referee: Paul Mosley.
Assistant Referee: Karl Barron.
Fourth Official: Thomas James.
Last Season
The Bucks took four points from the Seadogs last season, defeating them 4-1 at the SEAH Stadium in October before taking a point from a 1-1 draw at Bridlington in March.
Jamie Meddows, Remi Walker (2) and Ricardo Dinanga cancelled out Luca Colville’s opener in a game where all the scoring came in the game’s final thirty minutes.
In the return fixture, the Bucks led through Adan George’s close-range finish before Stephen Walker levelled as both teams fought hard on a difficult t surface for points towards their respective play-off pushes.
It’s the fifth-longest away trip the Bucks will make this season, a round trip of close to 340 miles, and we thank in advance all of those making the journey to support the team - it’s always appreciated, and we hope to reward you with a good outcome.
How To Follow
If you can’t be at the game, you can follow the events in any of 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.
With all those options, there’s no reason to miss out.