Two Join Trip to Bracknell
- Darren Holmes
- Aug 23, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 24, 2024
Pitching In Southern League Premier Division South
Bracknell Town v Tiverton Town
Saturday, August 24 . 3pm . SB Stadium
BACK on the road tomorrow, the Yellows will be hoping to improve on what has been a frustrating start to the campaign. Some of it has been self-inflicted and some of it has not, but the management team and playing staff will be determined to try and turn a corner.
Sandhurst is their destination as they come face to face with a Bracknell side fresh from registering their first win of the season, a 2-1 away success at Frome, last Saturday, this coming on the back of a home draw against Poole and an away reverse at Hanwell.
Robins’ boss Jordan Ive and his opposite number Leigh Robinson will, of course, be looking for very different outcomes from this fixture.
Tiverton have a bit of an injury crisis at the moment and will be further hampered by suspensions for Josh Jones and Ben Gerring; Javan Wright will be out for around a month (ankle ligaments); Tor Swann will be missing for a few weeks( broken toe); and Matt Wonnacott broke his arm against Chertsey last Saturday. Several other players are playing with injuries.
Forest Green goalkeeper Fiachra Pagel has joined us on loan from Forest Green Rovers. The young Irishman had a successful spell with Swindon Supermarine last season in this division.
Left-sided centre-back Mike Baker has arrived from Yate Town. The experienced and combative Baker is a former team-mate of captain Matt Britton and Josh Jones in their Larkhall days. Baker was also with Frome Town and briefly at Hungerford in the previous campaign.
Forward Joe Parker is in a rich vein of scoring form at the moment and there have been encouraging signs since the poor performance at Merthyr on the opening day of the season from Leigh Robinson’s men, who now have a busy few days with Plymouth Parkway arriving at the Ian Moorcroft Stadium on Bank Holiday Monday.
Bracknell are traditionally strong on their home patch and Jordan Ive has managed to retain a large bulk of last season’s squad.
Jordan Esprit, who has excellent movement and is a notable goalscorer at this level (19 in 34 games in the 2023-24 campaign), will probably lead the line for the Robins.
Midfielders like George Knight and Joe Grant are top performers in this standard of football and still at the club is the versatile Ashley Lodge, who had an exceptional game against Ipswich Town in Bracknell’s televised FA Cup tie a few seasons back.
Former Weymouth, Slough and Dartford forward, 26-year-old Dan Roberts could well be another man to watch on Saturday. The Robins’ two-goal hero at the weekend made nearly 150 National South appearances and, along with Esprit, will definitely ask questions of the Yellows’ backline.
The club has new owners and it is manager Ive’s first term at Bottom Meadow. This is an interesting match-up and, if the Yellows apply themselves well here, they could have an opportunity to get a positive result.
