By Casey Evans
Stretford Paddock are returning home for a three-game stint, beginning with a game against Newton 1st, at 2pm on Saturday, October 10th. Hopefully the weather will stay clear this week in order to allow the fans and players to fully enjoy the game.
Stretford Paddock come into this game on a three-game unbeaten streak, winning all of their opening games and will be hoping to make it a run of four to cement their current position at the top of the table.
Paddock’s last game was against bottom of the table Signol Old Boys and came out 3-1 victors. Goals from Louis Fitzpatrick on his return from suspension, Nosa Imayu and Jay Phillips were vital in securing the win.
Okera Simmonds saw red during the game and will therefore be unavailable for Saturday’s fixture. Captain Martin Parker and striker Jordan Corke both suffered injuries so will join a list of 8 players unavailable for selection against Newton 1st.
Midfielder Jay Phillips leads the scoring charts and was recently named the team’s player of the month for September
Newton 1st did not play last week and currently lie 6th in the league, however, they also won their last game against Signol Old Boys, but they bettered Paddock’s result with a 5-2 win, so they will be hoping to get another win under their belts when they visit the Butcher’s Arms Ground this weekend.
Manager Stephen Howson said: “Unfortunately it seems Covid-19 has finally caught up with Stretford Paddock FC. Myself and Cameron (Watters) are having to isolate after being in contact with someone who tested positive. On top of injuries and suspensions, we get this, which puts us at nine players missing for this weekend’s game. Luckily, we have a deep squad, which should be more than capable of getting the points this weekend.
“We enter into a run of 3 consecutive home games, all against teams in the top half of the table. It will be tough to come out of this run without dropping points, but make no mistake, that is our aim. Training has been of an incredible quality lately and I am seeing flashes of the one-touch football that represents our footballing philosophy in games. Our opener against Signol a perfect example of that.
“The lads tell me that they play to the level of the opposition, my own view is – that remains to be seen, but it’s certainly a good challenge for us. The league table will make a lot of sense by the end of this month. I’ll be happy if we’re 4 from 4 by tea-time on Saturday.”
Spectators hoping to come down to the ground are reminded not to attend if they or anyone in their household is showing coronavirus symptoms so we can continue to operate safely whilst holding live sporting events.
If you are planning on attending, please make sure you have the NHS Track and Trace app downloaded on your phone as we will be scanning the code as you come through the gate on Saturday.
We hope to see as many of you there as possible.
