Preview - Bristol Manor Farm (A) - Saturday 5th October
Updated: Oct 25, 2019
Wealdstone travel west for an FA Cup third qualifying round tie against Bristol Manor Farm at The Creek on Saturday afternoon.
The Stones will come into this game with only 14 available outfield players after a few recently injury blows has left the squad relatively stretched.
“It is the FA Cup and everything points towards Bristol Manor Farm to produce a cup upset”, said Stones Manager Dean Brennan.
Bristol Manor Farm play their football in the eighth tier in the BetVictor Southern South Division; the Farm have advanced to the third qualifying round for the second year in a row after a 33-year wait.
Lee Lashenko’s side sit in 19th place after just five games. Due to the Farm’s involvement in the FA Cup and FA Trophy, they are four league games behind some of their opposition.
Brennan ahead of Saturday’s tie: “The key for us is that we work so hard and we have no excuses within the game so no luck comes into it.”
Wealdstone will be overwhelming favourites as the Stones sit five points clear at the top of the National League South, but Manor Farm will not be an easy tie for Brennan’s men.
The Farm recently knocked league rivals Moneyfields out of the FA Trophy by an impressive 7-1 score-line and will be hungry to take the Farm to the furthest stage of the FA Cup in the club’s history.
The home side house National League South experience within their squad, including pacey Chippenham and Weston-super-Mare forward Joe McClennan and ex-Bath City midfielder Ashley Kingdon.
Wealdstone enter a new month after winning four of their five September fixtures, as well as winning 11 of our opening 13 games in all competitions this season.
Talisman Ross Lafayette is the Stone in-form, he netted his tenth goal of the season against Havant & Waterlooville last weekend and has scored on three occasions in the last two games.
The Stones will be without a bunch of players ruled out for this fixture, George McLennan suffered a broken ankle last week and had a successful operation for his road to recovery.
Striker Dejon Noel-Williams recently returned from his short-term loan at Hayes & Yeading United, but will be out of this fixture after he suffered a concussion and is cup-tied.
As well as McLennan and Noel-Williams, other players absent this weekend include Ryan Sellers, Jake Sheppard and Kavan Cotter.
An on-the-whistle report will be available on the official Wealdstone FC website at full-time on Saturday; you can follow the minute-by-minute action on the official Stones Twitter feed from 3pm.
Preview by Dec O'Reilly
Full quotes from Dean Brennan HERE
Match details HERE