Bank Holiday Monday was a successful outing for The Greens, as they came away 2-0 winners after a strong second-half showing at the Empire Sports Ground, coming away from Dunkirk with all three points. Ben Robson and Kyle Onyon grabbed the goals, whilst a crucial penalty save from Ryan Kamm contributed to the performance. It was a game that Jamie McGhee and his coaching staff learned a lot from.

⁠”We learnt a very quick lesson on Monday about what the character of the group looks like” McGhee said. “The second half was more like the Sleaford we’ve become used to seeing even this early on so it was pleasing to see that. It was also good to see that we have the mental toughness to bounce back straight away from a defeat”.

Staveley Miners Welfare offer a different sort of test, though as they too have had a strong start to the season, as well as playing on a synthetic playing surface. Despite these challenges, however, McGhee has confidence in his players to perform. “Staveley been on a really good run and are tipped to be in the playoffs this season.But I always concentrate on our group.

“I have confidence in my squad to get a result, whoever we play providing we do our basic non-negotiables right; the rest will take care of itself. [The artificial pitch] will absolutely not [change the approach], we have a way that we want to play; the lads know how we want our performances to look like.

“It potentially offers more freedom to put more passes together; however you can get caught on the flip side of that by overplaying. So our approach will remain the same as what we set out in pre-season.”

In terms of team selection, The Greens will hope to have Sam Edgington back in contention, after his suspension has been served. However, Alfie Sheen and Liam Harper may still be a short time from recovery.

Opposition Look

The Trojans have had a good start to this season and will want to reach the playoffs like last season, after a fifth-place finish in 25/26. Currently second in the league and a point off the top spot, they will be looking for a title push should things go their way.

The last five games have seen the team rack up thirteen points, winning four and drawing one. Notable performances included the 6-0 trouncing of Louth Town, as well as wins against Sandiacre, Shirebrook and Maltby Main.