Match Preview – Appleby Frodingham v Sleaford Town, Tuesday 14th October

The Greens will take a break from league action this midweek, as they travel to Scunthorpe to contest Appleby Frodingham in the first round of the Lincolnshire Senior Trophy.

Sleaford have of course already played this fixture in this season’s pre-season schedule, coming away with a 2-2 draw to their names. The Steelmen are current members of Step 6 in the NCEL Division 1 and are currently one place above the drop zone in nineteenth position. The club finished second bottom at the end of last season but were allowed to remain in the division and will be hoping for a better campaign this time around. The game is also significant, as assistant manager Isaac Wilinsky will be returning to one of his former clubs.

The Lincolnshire Senior Trophy must not be confused with The Lincolnshire Senior Cup, as the former will only see teams from steps 5 and 6 compete for glory. This means that Sleaford will unfortunately not have the opportunity to face Lincoln City or Boston United for instance.

Ahead of the game, Town winger Benji Zalewski believes preparations must remain the same for cup games as they would in the league. “I don’t really think there is much of a difference between a league game and a cup game” he says, “The mindset is always the same at Sleaford and never anything different, and a cup doesn’t make that mindset deteriorate”.

“Every single game matters to all of us because as said before, we are a very new side and every game helps us to build chemistry and understand each other’s game, so no matter if it’s a cup or a league match, each game gives us opportunity to build and improve on the games before”.

Reflecting on recent fixtures where the youngster has been in and out of the side, Zalewski relishes in the challenge of the battle to play. “Having competition just shows the quality that we have in our side, and as an ambitious squad, everyone wants to do their best including myself” he says, “We want to come out in that starting 11 because it is an honour coming out the tunnel. Our qualities push each other to become better players, and we showcase that on the pitch”.

Performances have no doubt improved for The Greens in recent weeks, even if the results haven’t always matched, but Benji feels more can be achieved. “The last time we spoke I said ‘to trust the process’, because we as players know what qualities we hold and how much effort the management team is putting out there” he states. “For the past few weeks, we have executed that well and got what we deserved. There is still so much to come from us”.

All details needed for the game are available on STFC’s relevant social media pages.

Match preview by Olly Burton.