"Telford take on Barwell in first game of bank holiday double header"

Match Date : August 26th, 2023 3:00 pm
Competition : Southern League Premier Central
Ground : Kirkby Road Sports Ground, Kirkby Rd, Barwell, Leicester LE9 8FQ
Kick Off : 15:00

The Bucks begin the upcoming bank holiday weekend with a tricky trip to Barwell.

Before a 2-0 defeat at Stourbridge last Saturday, Barwell had begun the season in fine form, going unbeaten in their opening three fixtures. The Canaries have won both of their home games so far, too, and you have to go back to 18 February for the last time the Canaries lost in front of their own fans. Eventual champions Tamworth won 2-0 at Kirkby Road that day, but Barwell have racked up six straight home league wins since then.

And that sequence is part of an impressive uptick in form from the Canaries in 2023. After manager Ian King was appointed in May 2022, Barwell initially struggled under their new boss, picking up just nine points from the first ten games last season. However, the Canaries have been much improved since the turn of the year and prior to last weekend had only lost six of their 23 league games in 2023 – with last season’s high flyers Tamworth, Leiston and Rushall accounting for four of those defeats.

That late season surge saw Barwell end up in 8th place, level on 61 points with Redditch and Ilkeston. They were, though, still some way off the playoff places. But if they can maintain their current form, it looks like they could well be in the promotion picture this time around.

The Canaries key man is captain Brady Hickey. The attacking midfielder is Barwell’s all-time top scorer and bagged a further 21 league goals last season. Another player to watch is Beck-Ray Enoru. The pacy young winger racked up 17 goals and 25 assists in 45 games last season. Meanwhile, experienced goalgetter Dan Holman came out of retirement to add yet more threat to the Canaries attack.

The two sides last met each other in an FA Cup second qualifying round clash in September 2017. That day saw Rob Edwards’ Bucks run out 2-0 winners at the New Bucks Head.

While the Bucks have dazzled on home soil, Kevin Wilkin’s men have picked up one point from their first two games on the road this season. The Bucks, then, will be looking to pick up all three points this weekend.

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MATCHDAY INFORMATION

Website: www.pitchero.com/clubs/barwell

Ground Address: Kirkby Road, Barwell, Leicester, LE9 8FQ