Cup fever will sweep across the BPH Stadium this weekend, as Stapleford come to Lincolnshire to contest The Greens in the preliminary round of the UCL Development Cup.

Over the course of the tournament, Sleaford could face any team from the United Counties League set-up, including the Premier North and South, as well as Division One. A series of five knockout rounds will be contested by these sides until there is one winner in the final.

Avoiding a repeat of last week’s disappointment 1-1 draw with Selston will be the aim for Sleaford this Saturday, as focus shifts to one of the three cups the club will be participating in this season. Town manager Jamie McGhee is hopeful that his players can put on a good showing for the fans this Saturday: “I’m hoping for a good reaction to last Saturday; we have an honest group that will want to put on a good performance based on last week's under-par showing. He said, “We want to win every game in each competition we play in. Off the back of the last 2 seasons, it’s important we concentrate on the league first; however, it’s nice to have the distraction of cup games to hopefully generate optimism of a cup run.

“My focus will be on the league and the FA Vase, as we want to set our own records as a new management/squad. And if we can add a run in the League Cup to it that would be great.”
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Looking at opponents Stapleford, McGhee expects a challenging afternoon: “I know Romaine Graham well from playing against and with him years ago”, he said. “He’s got a good side at Stapleford who work really hard and play good football with high energy. They showed their capabilities last season, so I expect them to be a very tough opponent”.

There is some good news for Sleaford this week in terms of squad selection. Brothers Fin and Josh Parker have both returned to the squad, as well as young ‘keeper Ryan Kamm who is also back with The Greens. Unfortunately, Alfie Sheen and Liam Harper will not be involved for the next few weeks, thanks to recurring muscle injuries.

⁠Opposition Focus

The Saxons currently reside in third place in Division One, a single point ahead of Sleaford such is the nature of the table. They will be hoping that league momentum can help them in this competition.

Looking at form, things have been encouraging recently, as the visitors have won four in a row. These victories came against Dronfield, West Bridgford, Pinchbeck and Cotgrave most recently