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FC United look to bounce back as we host Barwell at Tameside tonight

FC United look to bounce back as we host Barwell at Tameside tonightFC United of Manchester are aiming to bounce back from Saturday’s FA Trophy quarter-final exit at Torquay by beating promotion rivals Barwell at the Tameside Stadium on Tuesday night as we look to get our Evo-Stik Premier Division promotion challenge back underway.

A victory would put the eighth placed Reds up to sixth as we begin a gruelling schedule of 12 games in six weeks to catch up with the rest of the league by playing some of our games in hand. Saturday’s defeat to the Conference Premier outfit was our first defeat in 12 matches and now Karl Marginson will be asking his players to go on a similar run to get themselves into the title chase, just as they did this time last year.

Speaking about Saturday’s game Margy said: “If you look at the chances we probably deserved something out of the game. All it took was one chance and they took it. That’s why Torquay are in the Conference Premier. It was a harsh lesson but one I think we can learn from. That’s football, it can be a cruel game. But we’ve had some little bits of luck along the road, certainly a few years ago at Rochdale, but on Saturday it just wasn’t ours.

“It was a fantastic little cup run for us, we’ve flown the flag for supporter ownership and shown what can be achieved. I’m immensely proud of everyone, the players, the supporters and everyone at the club. Good luck to Torquay for the rest of the competition but now we’ve got to get ourselves picked up and ready for Barwell. We’ve got a great group of players and they just need to keep believing in what they can achieve.???

FC United don’t expect to have any fresh injury concerns for Tuesday’s match but with the games coming thick and fast Margy may be tempted to shuffle his pack and introduce some fresh legs to the starting line-up. Shelton Payne and Rory Fallon are likely to feature in the squad after missing Saturday’s match due to being cup-tied. Captain Dean Stott and fellow midfielder Callum Byrne may also gain a recall after being on the substitute’s bench at Torquay.

Barwell haven’t played a match for two weeks due to postponements but they are unbeaten in their last four and come into the game on a run of three consecutive victories. The Kirby Roaders have proven difficult opponents for FC United to break down in the past but the Reds have managed to do it more often than not with our head-to-head record standing at three wins and two draws. Most recently, FC United had to come from 2-0 down with 15 minutes to go at the beginning of December to clinch a dramatic 3-2 stoppage time victory in the FA Trophy at Bower Fold.

The Reds would probably take the same again tonight, although something more comfortable might be preferred. The most important thing though is drawing a line under the disappointment of Saturday’s FA Trophy exit and keeping the momentum going in the league by gaining another three points towards the season’s primary objective – promotion to the Conference North.

FC United of Manchester versus Barwell is tonight at the Tameside Stadium. It’s pay on the gate with prices voted for by our members - £8 for adults, £5 concessions and £2 under-18s. Get yourself to that football ground and cheer on the players towards promotion.



First Posted ~ 12:03 Tue 10 Feb 2015
News ID ~ 6008
Last Updated ~ 16:00 Fri 19 Feb 2021