"Bucks looking for another clean sheet against the Suds"

Match Date : February 24th, 2024 3:00 pm
Competition : Southern League Premier Central
Ground : New Bucks Head
Kick Off : 15:00

After two impressive away wins, the Bucks are back in action on home soil this Saturday, when AFC Sudbury will be the visitors.

The Yellows are the last remaining team who the Bucks haven’t yet faced, but the two sides will now meet each other twice in 15 days.

The Suds finished 2nd behind Hashtag United in the Isthmian League North Division last season, but they gained promotion after wins over Grays Athletic and Heybridge Swifts saw them to playoff glory. After last season’s success, though, it was a summer of major upheaval at King’s Marsh. In the dugout, promotion-winning manager Rick Andrews left the club citing a vastly reduced budget. While on the pitch, last season’s 49-goal top scorer, Nnamdi Nwachuku, was one of several notable departures.

Marc Abbott has taken the reins in Andrews’ stead and combines his role in the Sudbury hot seat with his full-time job as Cambridge United’s elite scholarship manager. It is perhaps no surprise then, that the Yellows’ squad has a youthful look to it. The brightest of the Suds’ young stars is Joe Neal. The 23-year-old forward arrived from St Albans to replace Nwachuku up front, and he has impressed with 12 league goals to his name so far this campaign.

Given the changes at the club, it’s unsurprising that Sudbury have struggled to adjust to life at a higher level this season. The Yellows currently find themselves in the final relegation place, having picked up 24 points from 28 games so far. That doesn’t tell the whole story, however. Like the Bucks, the Suds were one of the sides more dramatically affected by Nuneaton’s collapse. Abbott’s side had beaten Boro twice, so they lost six points from their tally – and the gap to 18th-place Kettering currently stands at four points.

What’s more, the Suffolk club’s goal difference of -9 is significantly better than those immediately around them and suggests that they have very much been in games. In fact, Sudbury have not lost by more than a single goal since 14 October, and have registered credible draws against Halesowen and Stamford in their last two outings. The Yellows are, however, currently winless in seven, with their last success coming on New Year’s Day at Needham Market.

After disappointing results at Royston and Needham Market, the Bucks have refocused and looked impressive in picking up three straight wins without conceding. It’s a run that’s lifted the Bucks up to 4th, and Kevin Wilkin will be hoping that his men can strengthen their position in the playoff places with three more points this Saturday.

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MATCHDAY INFORMATION

Tickets for Saturday’s fixture will remain on sale up until kick-off and are available for purchase online in advance. See our ticketing page for further details.