Easter Monday Preview: Stafford at Home

The Holy Blues are back in action at the Northolme, after a superb 3-1 victory away from home against Bamber Bridge. Trinity extended their great form thanks to goals from Declan Howe, George Hornshaw and Lewis Butroid late on. The reverse fixture was a day to forget for the Holy Blues as we lost 4-0. The Blues know the danger that our opponents will bring, but it will be about how we can avoid errors and counteract Stafford Rangers' threats. Hopefully we will have learned from our earlier encounter.

Details

Stafford Rangers will bring a difficult task to the table as they are a side coming into the game with two wins in a row hoping to have turned a corner from their poor form, that sees them in very real danger of relegation this season. Looking to escape the relegation zone, Stafford are 19th just three points away from safety, looking to catch Basford, just outside the drop zone.

Apart from our reverse fixture, Stafford Rangers usually struggle for goals and that has been their achilles heel this season. 31 year old Sean Cooke signed in December to support the attacking front line, and has got himself two goals in his last two. He will be a player full of confidence who Trinity will need to watch closely. That said, with the Holy Blues in good form, three points would push us further up the table in our quest for a top half finish. The Blues are playing with confidence as one of the most in form teams in the division, Russ Wilcox craving consistency from his Trinity squad, looking to extend the run that has seen Gainsborough pick up 21 points out of 24.

Declan Howe edges closer to the 20 goal haul all good strikers aim for, whilst both full backs were on the scoresheet. George Hornshaw with his first of the campaign, and Lewis Butroid notching his third goal since December!

Programme

Our matchday programme features hot shot Declan Howe on the cover. Fraser Preston is the Big Interview, plus there's a cracking full page photo captured by Ross Nicholls. Amongst lots of other things to read, including the View from Carlilse Street, and some recent Rangers programmes in another of our interesting reads!

Sponsors

Attending the game, and supporting the Holy Blues with their financial contributions are our Gold Match Sponsors, Horsleys of Gainsborough. Horsleys has kindly donated fifty Easter Eggs for the first 50 children to make their way through the turnstiles, accompanied by an adult. Thank you to Dave and his team for this special gesture. Booth Construction Limited are our Bronze Sponsors, while Cornerstone are the Match Ball Sponsor. Thanks to all three sponsors for their continued backing of the Blues! We couldn't do it without you!

Interested in becoming matchday sponsor, either for a game this season, or next? Why not get in touch with Geoff Holmes to discuss a package tailored to your individual requirements! Geoff can be contacted via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Elsewhere

The Colls need a victory away at Workington, to keep their faint hopes of survival alive, whilst Bradford face champions election Radcliffe at home. A bumper crowd expected at that one. Meanwhile Basford host Worksop looking to back up their one nil win over Hyde on Saturday, and cement their spot in the play-off chase. A complete fixture schedule is in place, with twenty teams in action. Guiseley the weekend’s side without a partner:

Basford United vs Worksop Town
Bradford (Park Avenue) vs Radcliffe
FC United of Manchester vs Ashton United
Hyde United vs Macclesfield
Lancaster City vs Bamber Bridge
Matlock Town vs Ilkeston Town
Warrington Rylands vs Marine
Whitby Town vs Morpeth Town
Workington vs Atherton Collieries

Preview by James Whitbread and Rob Hughes
Photos by Ross Nicholls