United Counties League action takes a back seat on Wednesday evening as the Greens welcome Lincoln United to The MKM Ground for a hotly-anticipated Lincolnshire FA Senior Trophy semi-final – kick-off, 7.45PM.

The Match Background

Narrow winners over relegation-threatened Hucknall Town over the weekend, the Greens will prepare for a quickfire return fixture with same opponents on Saturday by welcoming title-favourites Lincoln United to The MKM Ground in midweek. Only two previous meetings between the Greens and the Whites – both coming in United Counties League Premier Division North action this season – precede tonight’s first ever encounter in cup competition and all eyes will be firmly on securing a coveted berth in the Lincolnshire FA Senior Trophy Final this evening. For the Greens, victory and the chance to lift meaningful silverware would be the cherry on the cake of what has been a memorable couple of season where the hosts have transformed themselves from perennial strugglers into one of Premier Division North’s leading sides. For Lincoln United meanwhile, victory would represent another step forward on their journey to a potential quadruple of honours come the end of the campaign – though with an FA Vase 5th Round tie against Hallam FC on the horizon on Saturday, how focussed the White’s will be on Lincolnshire Senior Trophy action as opposed to a potential trip to Wembley Stadium in May remains to be seen. That is not to say that the Greens will be in for an easy ride, far from it in fact, and the Whites squad depth suggests that even if changes are made, they’ll still pose the toughest of tasks on Wednesday evening. So, as both sides chase consistency after fluctuating recent runs – the Whites have lost three of their last four games after previously going 21 unbeaten – victory tonight could just well spur either side on to greater things in the coming weeks. Valentines Day it may be, let’s hope for some of that good old ‘romance of the cup!’

Team News

Lincolnshire FA competition rules is likely to throw somewhat of a spanner in the works for the Greens ahead of Wednesday night – stating that any player registered after the quarter-finals will be ineligible from the semi-final onward. That will rule out a host of new faces including Gregg Smith, Jake Henderson and Latrell Patterson who all started for the Greens during Saturday afternoon’s 2-1 victory over Hucknall Town. Those guaranteed adjustments though could see some of the Greens fringe players enjoy minutes, particularly young winger Kofi Gonsalves and midfielder Danny Horton who’ve both found minutes limited over recent weeks. The absence of Gregg Smith could pave the way for Akeel Francis to return to the starting eleven for what could be his 50th appearance for the club should he feature, while Player/Managers Tom Ward and Nathan Arnold will also check on the fitness of Ryan Flitton and Max Ward who both missed Saturday’s clash with Hucknall through knocks picked up during the 2-0 defeat at Boston Town.

The Opposition

Three Premier Division North defeats in their last four contests in all has handed the initiative back to Sherwood Colliery in the title race after the Whites had finally overhauled their title-rivals over the festive period. One of those reversals of course came at the hands of the Greens three weeks ago, while they also lost to their aforementioned title-rivals and, perhaps most remarkable, were defeated 5-2 by mid-table Heanor Town last midweek. So, with that in mind, Manager Chris Funnell will be demanding a response from his side this Wednesday ahead of an FA Vase 5th Round tie with Hallam FC this coming weekend. Originally scheduled for last Saturday, the Whites trip to Sheffield may well now take precedent, particularly as three more victories would see them run out on the hallowed Wembley Stadium turf come May. They’ve also got a United Counties League Knockout Cup Quarter-Final on the horizon in which Sherwood Colliery are once again the opposition. It all means then, that the Whites arrive at The MKM Ground this evening with pressure on their shoulders ahead of a week that could well define their entire season. If the Whites are still fighting on four fronts in a weeks’ time, then they’ll be well on the way to registering an historic campaign, but the Greens job tonight is to upset the applecart, much like they did at Ashby Avenue in league action a couple of weeks ago.
The recent departure of influential club captain Matt Cotton seems to have coincided with the Whites dip in form, with the Ashby Avenue side winning just one of four games since he left the club to go travelling. With 21 goals across the campaign – including four at The MKM Ground in October – the Whites may be missing Cotton’s attacking threat, but they’ll still feel they’ve got enough to keep up the fight on four fronts heading into the final two months of the campaign. It’ll be the goals of Jack McMenemy in which the Whites will turn to, his 19 to-date makes him the new top-goal scorer at the club, leading the likes of Jack McGovern (10) and Tobias Liversidge (13) in the race for the golden boot. New signing Bradley Wells may well hold the key to further success for the Whites, he’s already got two goals in three appearances after making his debut from the bench against the Greens three weeks ago, while new club captain Callum Foster and defensive partner Sean Wright will hope to rediscover the form that saw them help the Whites to a club record 21-straight wins over the end of 2023 and early 2024.

Previous Meetings

After two meetings in United Counties League Premier Division North action this season, the Greens and the Whites meet for what is a third time in all-competitions and first ever meeting in knockout competition. The Greens 1-0 victory at Ashby Avenue just over three weeks ago in league action will of course still be fresh in the minds of many at The MKM Ground on Wednesday. The Greens were full value for their surprise victory as the lively Ryan Lennon made the most of a Sean Wright mistake to grab the games only goal just beyond the 70th minute and lead the Greens on to a vital three-point haul. That was perfect revenge for what had been a rather embarrassing afternoon for the Greens back at The MKM Ground in October when the Whites departed back up the A15 with a resounding 7-0 victory. Four goals that day from the now-departed Matt Cotton set the Whites on their way alongside further strikes from Tobias Liversidge, Ted Gibbons and former Green Joe Smith in front of 209 spectators at The MKM Ground.

The Match Details

Admission to The MKM Ground on Wednesday evening is priced at £7 for adults and £4 for concessions with under-16’s free (alongside a paying adult). There is also a military discount available when showing the relative documentation for £5. We can accept both cash and card at the turnstiles and at the bar and snack bar which will be open throughout the game. Copies of our matchday programme the ‘Green Army’ will be available once again with copies priced at £1.50 each on the turnstiles and featuring an interview this week with midfielder Akeel Francis on what could be his 50th appearance for the club. Wednesday’s match referee is Istvan Mod and he is assisted on the day by Jonathan Barrs and Lee Crawford. Kick-off at the MKM Ground is scheduled for 7.45PM.

Words; Oliver Atkin