Replay provides second bite of the cherry
We might be going into tomorrow’s replay with Evesham United as the slightest of favourites, but our manager Neil Baker is under no illusions as to the strength of the challenge we will face when the Robins come to Buckmaster Avenue tomorrow.
“You always hope for home advantage in the cup and although we didn’t have it initially, that’s what we need to be the difference maker now. In my eyes, this is still very much a 50/50 game,” said our wizened gaffer.
With about ten minutes to play on Saturday, the width of a post came to our rescue twice in the matter of seconds and you just never know; sometimes moments like that can be the spur to take a team forward.
Saturday’s 1-1 draw in Worcestershire wasn’t without blemish but with a team that’s still finding its feet, a draw was a very creditable result. Our side featured three players making their full debuts, Guilherme Baltazar, Ben Woods and Tom Thorley – all of whom played in our back four.
We also gave two further debuts off the bench to Andre Robinson and Callum Besford. When you view the game through that prism, with so many players being blooded in, getting a draw against a club who play at the same tier in the non-league pyramid as us is a pretty decent effort.
But now it’s time to make home advantage count. And to do that, we’ll likely call upon a similar squad of players.
“We’ll leave a decision on selection until quite late. We’ve obviously got a couple of fitness concerns with injuries but whoever makes the squad I’ll be looking for them to give me control of the game for longer periods. That was one part of our game that was not quite there on Saturday.
“But that’s not surprising at all and it’s the same for everyone at such an early stage of the season. This game is another great opportunity to get through and I’m confident that we can take it,” said Bakes.
The game kicks off tomorrow at 7.45pm and there has to be a winner on the night, so extra time and penalties will follow if needed. The winners of tomorrow’s replay will travel to Westfields – a Hellenic Premier Division club based in Hereford – in all probability on Saturday 17 August.
Come on Castle!