Match Sponsored by ICM Debt Recovery
We renew our friendship with Blyth Spartans at Nethermoor on Tuesday night with kick-off at 7:45pm.
Regular league opponents over the years it is the first fixture between the two sides since our 2-1 win at Croft Park in 2011.
The last time The Spartans came to Nethermoor we came out on top with a 5-0 victory after strikes from Danny Forrest, Danny Boshell, Simon Ainge and a double from Lee Ellington.
It is predicted to be a much tighter fixture this time round though with Alun Armstrong’s side sitting 17th in the table just five points off ourselves in 12th.
Blyth have had a mixed bag of results of late with a 1-0 win at Southport on Saturday coming after a 1-0 reverse at York in the Emirates FA Cup and crashing to a 4-0 defeat at Boston.
Four of their 13 points have come on the road with their biggest win being 8-1 over Chester in August.
The Lions meanwhile have been solid at Nethermoor only losing once to Chorley at the home season opener.
Following Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Kidderminster Harriers Russ O’Neill and Marcus Bignot highlighted the recent record of one defeat in fifteen league and cup games at the Meet The Managers Evening.
Looking back at Saturday’s draw Joint First Team Manager Russ O’Neill said “I think it is a good point, ultimately before the game you’re playing at home and you want to be looking for three. They’re a full time team and play like a Football League club with some really good players, had it have gone on another five minutes we might have edged it.”
“We have got a game on Tuesday and if we can back that up with another three points at home it makes today’s point a really good point. That is how we have got to see it.”
Jo Cummings made his debut on loan from Charlton on Saturday and O’Neill discussed his performance as he came in for the suspended Andy Halls “He is a young lad learning the game and that is why he has come to us, you could see in spells the things he needs to work on but also you could see his physicality and why he is at the clubs he is at. All in all it is a clean sheet for him in a back four and he can be happy with his performance.”
“Looking at the back four and the goalkeeper too they’re all really young, I wouldn’t say un-experienced because a lot of them have a lot of games under their belt for their age. Which is why we went for that sort of recruitment.”
O’Neill knows Blyth Spartans will be another hard fixture at Nethermoor “We will not take anything for granted, it will be a really tough game, they have won again today, we are going to have to be at our best to get three points and if we can we’ll take the four points over the two games.”
Tickets for the Cambridge United Emirates FA Cup first round tie will be on sale in the Club Shop and are available online here.
