Midland Combination Challenge Trophy
The Mikes Reserves are scheduled to entertain Oadby Town Reserves in the Quarter-Final of the league cup this Saturday 16th January, with the Mikes battling to complete a hat-trick of wins in the competition. The tie is once again in severe jeopardy, having originally been postponed on December 19th due to a waterlogged pitch at Church Road.
Following another heavy downfall on Wednesday morning, The Trevor Brown Memorial Ground pitch is covered by several inches of snow. Although temperatures are forecast to rise significantly for the weekend, this is expected to come too late to melt the snow and allow several weeks’ worth of severe frost to leave the surface.
The draw has taken place already for the two-legged semi-finals. The winners of the tie face Chasetown Reserves, with the first leg on home soil and the second leg at the Scholars Ground (dates to be confirmed).
Joint Manager Rob Clarke commented: “Our pitch has surprised me in the past, but I’m struggling to see this one being on. We’ve had that much frost and snow that the impact of the thaw is a real concern. This will be a really tough game. The 2-2 draw at their place was our last fixture, which was five weeks ago! It’s hard after such a lay off, especially with training being disrupted by the weather as well. Both sides will be rusty to an extent whenever it does get played, so we’ll prepare properly and hope to get it right on the day”.
Full Competition details:
Round 1:
Banbury United 1 - 3 Barwell
Boldmere St. Michael's 3 - 2 Gresley
Quorn 8 - 2 Walsall Wood
Heather St. John's 2 - 1 Highgate United
Quarter Finals:
Brocton Reserves (16 Feb) Quorn
Barwell 3 - 2 Bromsgrove Rovers
Boldmere St. Michael's (16 Jan) Oadby Town
Chasetown 2 - 0 Heather St. John's
Semi Finals (2 Legs):
Barwell V Brocton Reserves / Quorn
Boldmere St. Michael's / Oadby Town V Chasetown
