Match Preview – Sandiacre Town vs Sleaford Town, 2nd August 2025

The Green Army will face Sandiacre Town for their second away fixture in less than a week, as they look to build on their impressive performance against Rainworth MW on Tuesday.

Formed in 1978, Sandiacre have slowly risen the pyramid to reach this level, where they have competed since 2023. The opposition have also amassed three points in two matches, following an opening day victory against Pinchbeck 3-0, and a defeat away at Radford in midweek. The Saints were perhaps fortunate to remain in the division last season, as they were placed 17th out of 19 clubs in the league, and 20th out of 21 the year before that. If there is to be a successful season for Sandiacre, they may have to rely on club legend Perry McGrath, who will have to use his 200 games as experience for the Nottinghamshire based club this campaign.

Both teams will be going into the fixture looking for the victory, and if Sleaford can replicate their performance from Tuesday night, there is no reason it couldn’t be them who leave St. Giles with the points.

Newly appointed club captain Jonathan Timmins shared his thoughts ahead of the fixture, and was firstly full of praise for Tuesday’s performance, “I think the group will take lots of confidence going into Saturday’s game.” he stated, “Although the score line was only 2-1 on Tuesday night, I thought we defended really well for large parts of the game, and we were unlucky not to come away with a clean sheet”.

“At the other end of the pitch, it was really good to see us creating so many chances and seeing what we’ve been working hard at in training start to pay off” he added, “If we can convert a few more of those chances, we’ll be a force to be reckoned with”.

After a couple of matches, Timmins believes the team is starting to gel, “Alongside all of that, it’s great to see the new signings fitting into the squad so well, and the changing room is feeling really together” “I think you saw that togetherness the other night, with the senior heads in the dressing room rising to the challenge, which was great to see”.

Ahead of another busy week, where Sleaford will play three matches in a short timeframe, Jono is excited at the prospect, “I love the busy schedule, there’s nothing better than playing football matches.” he says, “As I said before, it’s a great group that allows you to take your mind off whatever may be going on outside of football on a personal level” “One of the many other good things about the busy schedule is that it lets you build momentum and carry positive performances forward, like Tuesday’s, for example”.

However, there can be challenges to this, as Timmins admits, “The flip side of that is the short turnaround gives you a chance to put things right, perfect the small details, and not dwell too much”.

Despite these difficulties the centre-half believes in himself to deliver his duties as captain, “It’s a massive testament to consistency, having a strong squad, staying grounded, and maintaining a strong mindset, which, as captain, I think is something I can really help this group with, especially in terms of mentality and character”.

It will be a 3pm KO, with adults gaining entry for £6, whilst U12s and Concessions will cost £3. The game will take place at St Giles, Sandiacre, NG10 5DE.