By Lucas Ball
Holcombe are looking for their third consecutive Premier Division win as they host newly-promoted Cardiff & Met on Saturday evening (6pm).
Having scored 22 goals in their last two matches, Barry Middleton’s men will be in a confident mood coming into the fixture, with a top-six spot for Phase Two already secured.
Tom Russell netted a hat-trick last time out against Beeston to back up his brace against the University of Nottingham, and is now on nine goals for the season in all competitions, eight of those coming in league action.
Phil Roper, too, looked sharp against strugglers Beeston, who have now conceded 35 goals in their last four games. A brace took his tally to 10 so far this campaign, only behind Great Britain teammate Nick Bandurak in the Holcombe scoring charts, with Bandurak on 16 goals.
The two sides have never met in a competitive fixture and Cardiff currently sit just outside the relegation zone, four points ahead of Reading and seven ahead of the point-less University of Nottingham. Their two Premier Division wins have come against those sides, with their sole draw coming against Oxted at the end of September.
The Welsh outfit have conceded 21 in their last three and 40 overall, giving them the joint-third-worst defensive record while Holcombe possess the third-highest goals tally. They are the highest scorers in the bottom four with 15, though Holcombe are one of three teams to have conceded just 11 goals this season, only bettered by Wimbledon’s 10.
Entry at Holcombe Park is free on Saturday. The match will be streamed on Veo Live and updates posted on our social media channels.
Image: Martin Waight