Preview - Royston Town (H) - Saturday 23rd November
Wealdstone open their FA Trophy campaign on Saturday afternoon when BetVictor Southern Premier Central side Royston Town visit The Vale.
The Stones turn their attention away from National League South sitting four points clear at the top of the table to face the in-form Crows.
Wealdstone Manager Dean Brennan on Royston Town: “A lot of their players have played at this level, they have got a lot of experience”.
The Crows have hit a purple patch of form in recent weeks, reaching the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round and winning four of their last six games.
Royston cruised to the third qualifying round of the FA Trophy with a more-than-convincing 7-0 triumph against Haywards Heath Town two weeks ago.
“You need luck, you need breaks and you can only take it one-game at a time”, said Brennan.
Crows forward Matt Bateman is the man in-form for the away side, the striker has eight league goals this season and has netted five goals in the last six games.
The boost for the Stones last weekend was the return of top scorer Ross Lafayette from injury and goalkeeper Jonathan North from his loan with Chesham United.
Brennan will likely go full-strength for this fixture, similarly to the 5-0 win at Farnborough in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup in September.
Alternatively, it could be a chance for one of the new signings, midfielder Jack Jebb, to make his first start for the club after signing earlier this month.
Jebb came on as a second half substitute in last week’s 2-0 loss at Hampton & Richmond and seamlessly fitted into Brennan’s system, despite defeat.
Brennan on bouncing back from defeat: “It’s important for any team that wants to be a good team to bounce back after defeat.”
“We’ve shown good responses to defeat and we’re not afraid of getting beat”, explained Brennan.
An on-the-whistle report will be available on the official Wealdstone FC website at full-time on Saturday; you can follow live updates on the official Stones Twitter feed from 3pm.
Preview by Dec O'Reilly
Full quotes from Dean Brennan HERE