Maidenhead United await FC Halifax Town in the Buildbase FA Trophy Second Round which is scheduled for this weekend.
The encounter, which will take place at the MBi Shay Stadium, comes following Billy Heath’s side’s 1-0 victory over league leaders Macclesfield Town on Tuesday evening.
A single goal from Matty Kosylo, who made his first start since late October, was enough to send the Shaymen through to the next round of the cup competition.
Halifax will be up against familiar opposition, having only made a trip down to Maidenhead last weekend.
The meeting at York Road however, was one to forget as both sides had to settle for a goalless draw. With the risk of fixture congestion and another long distance trip, it will be hoped a winner can be found in this one.
To get to this point, Alan Devonshire’s men had to overcome Vanarama National League rivals Woking.
Goals from on-loan Emmanuel Moses gave the Ravens the lead, before a late Jake Hyde strike settled the result, giving Maidenhead a 2-0 win away from home.
Prior to their draw with Halifax, The Stripes had lost to both Solihull Moors and AFC Fylde as the festive period came to a conclusion. Before that, they went on a 4 game unbeaten streak, which included 3 wins on the bounce, one of which was that FA Trophy victory over Woking.
Barring the 2 losses to Macclesfield in the league, Halifax will be relatively pleased with their form of late, having won 3 in their previous 7 in all competitions, including a 1-0 victory at the EBB Stadium against currently 2nd placed Aldershot Town.
On top of that, they have also managed to keep 5 clean sheets in those games, displaying a solidity at the back akin to the start of the season when they were difficult to defeat.
With a goal on his full return, despite being at approximately 70% match fitness, the Maidenhead back line will have to remain wary of Matty Kosylo throughout the game.
The winger will bring a whole new attacking prowess they didn’t experience last weekend, and he will try to replicate his previous performance against the visitors, after he grabbed a double in front of the Shay faithful.
The 25 year old has found the target on 6 occasions in all competitions this campaign, but he is also capable of crafting an opportunity for striker Tom Denton to fire in and add to his own goal tally for the season.
Despite scoring only twice since making his loan move to York Road from Sutton United, Moses Emmanuel could be a potential danger for Matty Brown and co at the back.
The former Bromley man ran the Halifax defence ragged last Saturday and was unlucky not to find the back of the net after getting himself into brilliant positions to do so.
It has been almost 14 years since these two teams last met in the FA Trophy, which was back in February 2004.
On this occasion, Maidenhead travelled up to the Shay and were subsequently rewarded with a 2-0 win over Halifax Town.
The goalscorers on the day were Stephen Hale and Lawrence Yaku, whose goals validated their pre match ordeal.
They had to undergo a last minute shopping trip to Huddersfield before the game in order to buy football boots and shin pads as their kit bags were accidentally sent to Manchester after having to travel up north via airplane.
Match Officials:
Referee: Ryan Johnson
Assistant Referees: Nikolas Storey & Dale Baines
Forth Official: Paul Ince
Admission Prices:
£12 adults/concessions, U16’s £5, U12’s £3
Club Shop:
Will be open from 1.30pm ahead of the game
Replay:
If a replay is needed, the game will be played at York Road on Tuesday 16th January, 7.45pm kick-off
Match Coverage:
There will be live updates and commentary available on the club website and Shaymen TV.
You can also follow the action via Town’s official Twitter account, @FCHTOnline.
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