First Line of Defence:
Story courtesy of Alfie Burley
With Gresley’s pre-season having come to a close at the weekend, Rovers begin their FA Cup journey at home to Wellington tonight (Tuesday).
Despite the disappointing 3-1 defeat to Bilston Town, Gresley enjoyed a largely successful pre-season, going toe-to-toe with higher levelled opposition in Stafford Rangers and Chasetown.The side they will welcome to the Moat in this extra preliminary round tie will be Wellington. A trip to Hanley Town or Lye Town will await the winners, and Rovers will have to be alert in order to advance.
Despite operating at a level below Gresley, the Wellies have also enjoyed a strong pre-season, and Rovers will not be complacent after their humbling defeat to Bilston.
In last year’s FA Cup campaign, Rovers did advance past this current stage with a 3-0 away win at Dunkirk, but a 2-1 defeat to Sutton Coldfield at the Moat ended their run. Whilst Wellington’s last appearance came in 2017 when they were beaten 6-2 by Coleshill Town.
A Look at the Opposition:
Wellington F.C. are a club based in Hereford, operating in the Hellenic League Division One West. Prior to the season being cancelled due to COVID-19 last season, the Wellies sat 8th out of 16 teams comfortably in mid-table.
Known affectionally to their fans as the Wellies, Wellington have enjoyed a positive pre-season, and will certainly come into the game with bundles of confidence after holding Hereford F.C. to a 1-1 draw.
They also gave fellow Midland Premier League outfit, Worcester City, a tough game, scoring twice in a 4-2 defeat. It’s clear that Rovers will get anything but an easy pass to the second round, and will have to be aware of Wellington’s threats.
The two sides have never met before, with Tuesday night being the first time Wellington will have visited the Moat, and will 300 fans allowed into the ground the place will surely be lively as both sides begin their FA Cup journey.
One to Watch:
Brendan Hackett is the one to watch for Wellington. Not only a prolific playmaker, Hackett has also chipped in with the scoring in pre-season. He proved he could do it against much higher-level opposition last time out as he created the goal in the 1-1 draw with Hereford.
