"Bucks play host to the Bards"

Match Date : October 14th, 2023 3:00 pm
Competition : Southern League Premier Central
Ground : New Bucks Head
Kick Off : 15:00

The Bucks return to league action this weekend with a home game against Stratford Town.

The Bards began the season with a bang, walloping Needham Market 6-1. But while the Suffolk club remain unbeaten since that drubbing, Town have been a little more inconsistent. Stratford currently sit one point and four places above the Bucks in 13th, having registered two wins, two defeats and a draw in their last five league games.

Stratford are led by former Buck Gavin Hurren. Hurren played under Rob Smith and Larry Chambers during the 2009/10 season, and served as Foundation Manager at the New Bucks Head during the 2019/20 season. There are plenty of other familiar faces in the Town squad, none more so than Lee Vaughan. The former Telford favourite is player assistant manager, with the Bards back line also featuring another ex Buck in the shape of Paul McCone. Meanwhile, Jack Storer, who featured once for the Bucks immediately before the pandemic hit, has bagged three goals so far this season.

In goal, Liam O’Brien is widely considered one of the best keepers in the league, while Liam Daly, a stalwart of non-league defences across the Midlands, features in defence.Other players to watch include Callum Ebanks, Riley O’Sullivan and Dan Lafferty, each of whom have four goals to their name this season.

The Bucks have lost four of their last six games in all competitions and haven’t won on home soil since August. Wilkin’s men will be looking to set that record straight on Saturday, in what will be the first ever competitive meeting between the two sides. A win for Kevin Wilkin’s men would see them leapfrog the Warwickshire side and could lift the Bucks to as high as 9th.

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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. Please see our ticket guide for more information.