In a much-anticipated FA Cup clash, Gainsborough Trinity welcome Boston United to The Northolme.
The two Lincolnshire sides will do battle in the final qualifying round, with a spot in the First Round Proper on the line.
It will be the first time in seven years that the Holy Blues had reached that stage of the famous old competition, if they can cause another upset.
After promotion via the play-offs last term, Boston have struggled to adjust to life in the National League. In the opening 13 league games, the Pilgrims picked up just two wins, and sit four points off safety.
They last tasted victory on Saturday, September 7, when they managed an impressive win at relegated Sutton United. Since then, Ian Culverhouse’s men have gone winless in seven outings.
On the other end of the pitch, Gainsborough have had a rollercoaster start to the campaign, and currently sit 17th in the Northern Premier League. Cup competitions have brought a welcome distraction for Trinity, and have allowed them to string results together.
Russ Wilcox’s outfit have won back-to-back games, with goals from Declan Howe and Lewis Butroid leading to victory in both outings. That caused an upset at Darlington, where they beat opposition from the division above, before FA Trophy success at Kettering Town.
This will be a fifth FA Cup meeting between Trinity and United, while they last faced off on New Year’s Day 2018 in a National League North fixture.
Speaking to The Linc, manager Wilcox said: “We are all really looking forward to the game. It’s great to be in this position of knowing a win will take us into the first round proper of the FA cup for the first time in seven years.
It’s another tough hurdle in our way in the form of Boston United from the National League. They go into the game as big favourites, but this is the FA cup. Let’s hope we can cause another big upset and achieve our goal.”
Follow LincSport on X (formerly known as Twitter) for live updates of the game, at 3pm on Saturday, September 12, if you cannot make it to the KAL Group Stadium. We will also provide a match report and interviews.
Feature Image Credit: Bryan Pye