MATCH PREVIEW: Uxbridge vs Wimborne Town
Last season we faced Uxbridge for the first time, drawing 2-2 at home and 3-3 away. Both games could be summarised by the “game of two halves” cliché. The Reds went on to finish ninth in their first season at Step 3 with a W15 D14 L13 GF 74 GA 70 record, The Magpies finished fifteenth, six points and five places shy of their first season record back at Step 3.
Uxbridge manager Danny Edwards, in charge since 2019, needed more than his two hands to count his summer signings, and has a 25-man squad to call on. And what an impressive start they’ve made to the new campaign: Chippenham T (h) W 2-0, Havant & Waterlooville (a) W 2-0, Gosport B (a) D 1-1, Taunton T (h) W 5-4, and, on Saturday, Bath C (a) W 2-1. Those results leave The Reds sitting on top of the table, three points clear of next best Plymouth Parkway, and the only unbeaten team in the division.
Wimborne’s manager Tim Sills counted his summer signings on one hand, with Charlie, Fin, Harvey, Sully, and loan signing Kai all becoming vital members of the squad. Early defeats against Frome (0-2) and Chichester (0-1) are a distant memory as the last-gasp draw with Gloucester (1-1), a deserved three points at Malvern (3-0), and Saturday’s 0-0 draw at home to Hanworth Villa have lifted The Magpies to fifteenth in the embryonic league table. That’s three games unbeaten, two consecutive clean sheets, and the joint second-best defensive record in the division – only Hanworth Villa have conceded fewer goals, so maybe Saturday’s goal-less draw wasn’t too surprising. With little time to recover from Saturday’s game, Tim is likely to shuffle his pack to keep legs fresh, but with a squad down to sixteen he has limited options.
Which Uxbridge players should we keep an eye on at Honeycroft on Monday? George Moore for one – he was the club’s top scorer last season, and has already netted three this term; Toby Nnadozie has a brace while Francis Amartey, one of Edwards’ summer signings, is a striker with pedigree who scored at Bath on Saturday; and Alan Massey has joined as player / coach with ten seasons in the National League with Maidenhead among the experience he can call on.
Going back to those two matches against Uxbridge last season, in August at The Wyatt Homes Stadium Wimborne cruised to a 2-0 first-half lead through Joe Smith and Josh Carmichael. But a triple half-time substitution and a motivating team-talk galvanised the visitors who dominated the second period to equalise through Nwachuku and Tack. In March the reverse happened on the 3G at Honeycroft. Two up at half-time, The Reds added a third on 48 minutes. Then came The Magpies’ fight-back with goals by Billy Walker, Rafa Ramos, and Will Fletcher. Oh, and this was one of those games when Wimborne missed a penalty.
I really enjoyed my visit to Honeycroft five months ago. The updated facilities are great, and we received a lovely welcome - it was a proper non-league job. If this encounter is anywhere near as exciting as last season’s matches, then we’re in for another treat.
Match Info:
- There are places for supporters available on the team coach. Contact Paula if you’re interested.
- Stadium: Honeycroft, Horton Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 8HX - approx. 90 miles.
- Admission: Adults £8; concessions £1, Under 16s free.
- Average attendance last season: 346.
- Weather Forecast: Sunny intervals; 20oC; 30% chance of rain.
