Match Preview

PREVIEW | MICKLEOVER RESERVES (a)

RBL back in league action as they travel to local rivals and aim for eight wins in a row

UP NEXT, the Lions travel down the road to the Don Amott Arena, where they face local rivals, Mickleover Reserves.

After two weekends of matches in cup competitions, the Lions return to league action. The break from league matches have seen RBL knocked off the top of the league and currently sit in third place. After a shaky start, the boys have really hit form, winning their last seven matches in a row, scoring thirty goals along the way, conceding just three times.

The return to league action see’s Eddie’s team bus take the lads a few hundred yards down the road to see the 4G pitch and event marquee at the Don Amott Arena before getting down to the business of fighting for three points.

A very young Mickleover Reserves side will prepare to host RBL on the back of a mixed bag of results, winning two of their last seven matches, scoring nineteen and conceding twenty one times. With local bragging rights at stake, an improvement in form will be on order.

RBL’s last match saw them extend their run of good form with a steady 2-0 home victory against Inter Belper in the County Cup. Having gone into half time at 0-0, a second half brace for Jordan Lee secured passage into the next round.

Mickleover Reserves last match was a visit to Eagle Valley, where they faced Arnold Town, who sat below them in the league. Goals from Josh Powell and Luca Mas-Hall were not enough as the hosts found the back of the net three times to take the points and leapfrog Mickleover in the league.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

Since the First team reformed in 2021, the two sides have played four times. The last being exactly eight months to the day, on the 18th of March, where RBL hosted Sports Reserves. Sports opened the scoring early one, only for RBL to equalise through skipper John Cullen. Sports scored either side of half time with Lee Fell pulling a goal back with twenty five minutes remaining. Sports held out to take the points and gain revenge for losing by the same scoreline the month before.

The two sides then met just two and a half weeks before the last meeting. Goals from Lee Hillier, Lee Fell and Owen Brader gave RBL a 3-2 away victory.

Before that, the two sides last met in the 2021-22 season, at the Royal British Legion as RBL ran out 2-1 winners as Owen Brader and Liam Oliver scored the goals for RBL.

The last fixture at the Don Amott Arena was in January last year. The home side took the points with a 2-1 win of their own. Finley Barker scoring twice for Mickleover, while Josh Wright bagged the only goal for RBL

[b]THIS WEEKEND[\b]

With local pride at stake, and the pressure on RBL to keep their run going and push for a title challenge, an exciting game is in prospect

We hope that you enjoy what is sure to be a good match, as the Lions aim for progression in the County Cup. Thank you for the continued support and know that the lads will be giving their all to try to get the result.

Kick off at the is at 15:00

See you then