A look ahead to Mark Beesley's first home league game at the club as we take on Lancaster City tomorrow afternoon.
FC United boss Mark Beesley on Fitzmartin, Curzon: “It was a freak accident where Jay (Fitzmartin) seemed to roll his ankle off the pitch. We have no idea yet how long he may be out for but he will definitely miss Saturday (Lancaster).
“It was a big compliment to see Curzon bring on three of their most important players in the second half. Obviously the result isn’t one we wanted but the fact they’ve had to make those changes to turn the game around shows how good of a job we did in that first half especially.”
This season marks Chris Willcock’s first full campaign in charge of Lancaster after joining the club in January this year. City began the season with a nine game unbeaten run in the league, and currently boast the NPL’s third best defensive record, conceding an average of one goal per game.
However, recent defeats to Hebburn and Leek have seen the Blues drop to 11th in the Premier Division standings, with their last outing being a 2-0 defeat to Clitheroe in the FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying round.
Beesley on Lancaster: “A tough side. They had a really strong start to the season. They’re a team that don’t concede very often. It goes without saying, we’re preparing for a difficult game.”
It was an entertaining affair when Lancaster came to Broadhurst Park last season; a brace for Paul Ennis, alongside goals for Jordan Buckley and Dontai Gabidon saw FC over the line in a 4-3 win for the Reds in the final league game of 2023/24.
Dating back to the clubs’ first competitive encounters in the 2007/08 season, FC United have never lost a home league meeting against Lancaster City. A pair of FA Cup victories in 2011 and 2014 respectively mark the only times the Dolly Blues have got the better of United in Manchester.
Video highlights of last season's 4-3 league victory over Lancaster at Broadhurst Park (YouTube: FCUMTV)
Three members of Lancaster’s squad have all played their football in Moston in the past few years, most recently being last season’s top scorer Aaron Bennett. The Welshman moved to Giant Axe this summer after scoring 11 goals in 26 appearances for the Reds last term. Bennett’s first goal for Lancaster came in a 1-1 draw at Prescot Cables last month.
The two other players returning to Broadhurst Park tomorrow are defender Lewis Coulton and midfielder Dylan Moonan. Moonan made three appearances in red during the 2022/23 campaign, while full-back Coulton featured twice for FC at the start of last season.