FA VASE PREVIEW: AWAY TO GLOSSOP NE

Bacup Borough travel to Glossop North End on Saturday in the First Qualifying Round of this season's Isuzu FA Vase.

It's Borough's first competitive game of the season having not played any league fixtures so far due to the redevelopments taking place at the Brian Boys Stadium.

Borough's preparations have consisted of a mixture of friendly and Shadow Squad games in the Manchester League, and this has allowed Brent Peters and his coaching staff to work on shapes and personnel in the run up to this important opening game.

As for the opposition Glossop North End, they haven't had the best of starts to their campaign in the North West Counties League Premier Division with only one win in six and struggling to find any kind of momentum. Their manager Richard Brodie will be hoping that the FA Vase could be the one thing to kick start their season and see them begin to climb the league table.

The Asgard Engineering Stadium | The Home of Glossop North End

Both teams have recruited well over the summer. Borough supporters have enjoyed what they've seen so far from the likes of Tyler Williams, Jack Parker, Paul Sholabi and Jumaane Meggoe. Others have also impressed in recent games and could quite easily find themselves amongst those making the trip to the Peak District on Saturday.

After a solid and professional display on Tuesday evening at Atherton LR I had the opportunity to get the thoughts of the manager Brent Peters, and he had this to say:

"It’s been long and it’s been demanding. Due to our current situation with the redevelopment taking place at the club, making sure players were getting game time has been the biggest challenge. With the help of the coaching staff we’ve managed to make sure that the players have had an equal amount of minutes on the pitch and are in the best shape they could possibly be going into the game with Glossop North End.

"We have also been able to work on different shapes with several personnel being played in a number of positions. We know that during a season they’ll be players missing for one reason or another, so that's why it’s important to have flexibility amongst the squad. Players like Brady Boardman, Ben Thompson, Kyle Siddle and Tyler Williams have all shown that they are capable of adapting if needed.”

I asked the Borough manager whether he’d already decided on the squad he was taking to Glossop North End for the FA Vase.

"I’m almost there when it comes to Saturday, " said Peters.

"I think that over the past eleven games I’ve seen enough to give me the confidence to make the selection. Due to injuries and several players missing for other reasons I’m going with what I believe will be a squad capable of competing against a strong Glossop side.

"Some players will be disappointed but they need to understand that this is only one game. The league season doesn’t kick off until next week and there’s plenty of time between now and then to get themselves in the first team squad. That is what the Shadow Squad is all about. There will be a constant flow of players going between the two teams during this season of that I’m sure. So it’s important that players don’t start feeling sorry for themselves and make sure they’re ready to go when the call comes.”

Finally, I asked the manager about the team's chances on Saturday in the FA Vase.

“It is going to be a tough game, that I do know. They’ve had an average start to the season but we’ll be taking nothing for granted. Let’s not forget that they have played a number of league games already since the end of July, so I’m expecting that their players should be match fit, fresh and raring to go. They're a club who knows what it feels like to get to a FA Vase final. In fact it's the ten year anniversary since they were last there. So don't you worry we'll have a lot of respect for them but not too much that we fail to perform.

"Our game management needs to be right. We need to be fully focused with good levels of ball retention and high concentration. Playing in pre-season fixtures is one thing but competitive football is a totally different kettle of fish.

"For our first game I want to see the lads applying what they’ve been shown and drilled in training by the coaching staff. Nigel, Alan and Ryan have all done a fantastic job with them over the summer. It’s now up to the players to repay those coaches by delivering a quality performance on Saturday."

Good numbers are expected to travel to the Asgard Engineering Stadium. For those unable to attend the clash don't forget you can listen to full match commentary with Steve Brown via the Bacup Borough FC Facebook page and Youtube Channel. It is also available on the club's website or by clicking the link below.

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