Match Preview : Refreshed Reds on the road

We travel to Warrington Town looking to improve on  last season’s record as our hosts did the double over us, picking up a 2-0 home win courtesy of goals from former FC man Jordan Buckley and a 1-0 win at Broadhurst Park after a 94th-minute winner. 

The stage is set for a passionate affair and the clash will give Neil Reynolds’ men the chance to prove their credentials against one of the league’s sides who will again be looking to be in play-off contention - including the two seasons that Covid-19 curtailed, Warrington have finished each of the past five seasons in the playoffs and have made the final twice. 

But Warrington have started this campaign with a mixed bag of results. Three wins, three draws, and a loss place them 11th in the table, just two points ahead of FC, giving The Reds the chance to leapfrog them in their own backyard. 

Significantly, The Yellows look like they’ll be without key striker Jordan Buckley after he sustained an injury playing against Nantwich Town. Buckley, a familiar face to many FC United fans, scored 19 last season and had already notched a couple this campaign, but ankle ligament damage has confined him to a spell on the sidelines. 

Don’t head for an eye test if you do see the name Buckley flash past you on Saturday, though. Warrington’s in-form man at the minute is Isaac Buckley-Ricketts, a dangerous forward with four goals to his name. 

Now 24, he was formerly a regular in the England youth setup and was part of the U19s squad that won the 2017 European Championship alongside the likes of Mason Mount, Reece James, and Aaron Ramsdale. A quick thinker and runner, he has previously featured for FC Twente, Oxford United, Peterborough United, and the Manchester City U23s. Keeping him under wraps is crucial. 

Both Warrington and FC lost last weekend in the FA Cup second qualifying round. Warrington tasted 1-0 defeat at Hyde, while Reno’s men were unable to complete a heroic comeback as they lost 3-2 to Curzon Ashton. 

After going 3-0 down to goals either side of the break, Reno’s army ramped up the pressure in the second half. 

After 53 minutes, Callum Gribbin won the ball on the right flank, surged forward, and found Regan Linney with a cross for the first goal. 

Late in the day, Joe Rodwell-Grant thundered home his first goal for the club at the near post thanks to another Gribbin assist.

But despite lots of attacking intent and intense pressing, FC couldn’t find the equaliser and finished the day knowing that earlier mistakes had been costly.

In his post-match interview, Reno described the three goals conceded as “horror goals” but praised the attitude of the players in the second half. 

“How many people thought it’s going to end up five, six, seven? Our side didn’t think that. They came straight at it.

“Nobody can knock that second-half performance. It was brilliant, it was exciting, it was uplifting. It got people off their seats, but it wasn’t to be.

“In the second half, the noise was electric and there was a real belief in the stadium that we could’ve got a replay. We didn’t, but big thank you to the fans again and we’ve just got to keep playing like that, keep knocking on the door, keep playing exciting football.”

With a familiar face back in the stands it promises to be an exciting encounter, so get yourself to that football ground and get behind the lads.

By Luke Power