This weekend sees RBL welcome eleventh placed Mansfield Hosiery Mills to the Royal British Legion. Manager Garry Smith will want to see an improvement in form as the Lions prepare for a gruelling run of thirteen matches in fives weeks, with a cup final also on offer.

With the last two fixtures providing a disappointing return of a single point from two home matches, there is an urgency to turn that form around with the next three league matches at home. This is to be accompanied on Wednesday night by a semi final trip to Blidworth Miners Welfare where they face Teversal in the Buckingham Insurance League Challenge Cup. A turnaround of a game every three days for the next five weeks is a big ask, with games in hand playing a huge part in the chase for top spot.

RBL currently sit in fifth place in the league, with enough games in hand to leave them challenging Clay Cross for the championship, with a meeting between the two sides at the legion at the start of May.

In their last match, RBL were made to settle for a 1-1 draw at the legion against Derby Singh Brothers. Sam Vickers gave RBL the advantage early in the second half, but following a sending off for the visitors, Signh Brothers somehow drew level at the death for 1-1.

The visitors come to Poppyfields Drive on the back of an awful run of a single point from a possible twelve in the league, conceding nine goals in the process. Having not played an away match since mid-February, a match away from home could be the answer for a team who have won just three times since early November.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The two sides last met in April last year, as RBL ran riot, winning 6-0 in a dominant performance at the Legion. Lee Hillier opened the scoring for the hosts, and just seven minutes later, Liam Oliver rifled in a penalty for 2-0. Ten minutes before half time, Lewis Durow made it 3-0 with a low driven free kick. Matt Green scored a brace in the second half, with Owen Brader closing the proceedings at 6-0 with a cool finish.

Earlier in the 2021-22 season, the score was the same at Mansfield, with the goals this time coming from Jordy Lee twice, Dean Oliver, Mason Booth-Davis and two for Sam Vickers.

In the 2019-20 season, both the home and away fixture between the two sides fell foul of the first Covid lockdown.

ONTO THIS WEEKEND

With RBL needing to get back on track, and the Hosiery Mills in desperate need of a turnaround in form, we can expect an exciting encounter at the Legion

The bar will be open and the match kicks off at 3pm.

See you there