FA Cup Adventure Begins At North Leigh For Seagulls: Match Preview

The Seagulls take a break from league action this Saturday when their attention will turn towards the FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round, having been drawn away to North Leigh, with Weston hoping to progress past their first hurdle in this competition.

Weston have been struggling in the league of late, with 7 consecutive defeats, seeing the Seagulls slide down the table from top spot to 17th in the space of a month. With the side having recently acquired the services of Brad Ash, along with Jake Mawford’s return from injury, there is the potential to see goals scored by Weston, as both are keen to return to the form they were in when last playing for Weston.

North Leigh currently sit two divisons below Weston, sitting in 6th place in the Southern League Divison One South & West. Last time out, North Leigh drew 2-2 at Weston’s strong Somerset neighbours, Taunton Town, so confidence will be running high amongst the Oxfordshire-based side.

When asked about the game, Ryan Northmore commented “We go into the game as favourites so I expect a professional performance from the players. Professional in terms of our attitude and commitment and I am confident we can produce a winning performance. We have done our homework and it’s now up to the players to deliver. Provided we maintain our levels and are not shot shy we are capable of getting a positive result. The players are fighting hard and must stay the course, which I’m sure they will. It doesn’t matter how we get into the next round as long as we do.”

Available squad for Saturday: Ash, Barnes, Burton, Dowling, Fortune, Grubb, Ingram, Kington, Mawford, McClennan, McCoulsky, Meechan, Pope, Powell, Purnell, Richards, Williams, Wring.

Cup-Tied: Withey

Injured: Cane & Mullings