Preview: Rawdon Old Boys

KDRAFC Media
May 7, 2021
2 min read

The difficult games keep coming for us as we travel to face league leaders Rawdon Old Boys this Saturday at Hanson Field (Kick-off 2:30 pm).

The Opposition.

As expected, Rawdon have wasted very little time in climbing to the top of the table.

So far, they have recorded three wins (Otley Town, Wetherby Athletic and East End Park) and three draws (Wyke Wanderers, Salts FC, and more recently G&C Hartshead). They have a one-point lead over both Hartshead and ourselves, but this could change dramatically following this game.

A check of the FA Website indicates that Craig Nicholls is Rawdon's leading scorer with 4 goals at the moment. However, they have multiple players who have found the target so far, so we will have to be on our toes!

Previous Meetings.

Our database shows eleven meetings between the two sides so far. The first took place on April 6th 2013, when we lost 4-1 in the 3rd round of the Harrogate & District League Challenge Cup (Scorer unknown).

During these meetings, Rawdon have the upper hand in victories with 6 to our 4. The last time we beat them in an official game was on March 28th 2015, when a single goal gave us a Harrogate & District Senior Cup 2nd round win.

The last official meeting between us took place on April 30th 2016. T.Hodson and J.Gobbi scored, but we fell to a 4-2 defeat in the 2nd round of the Senior Cup.

The Referee.

Mr Michael Stoddart is the referee for this match. This game will be his seventh since football restarted. Looking at the FA website, Mr Stoddart is extremely lenient, having issued no yellow or red cards at all!

Team News.

Manager Dan Marshall will be looking to keep the same squad that beat Salts FC last Saturday. However, as two players picked up knocks during that game, the management team will provide fitness tests before making any decisions.

Matchday Sponsor.

APC Clothing Limited are leading suppliers of embroidered and screen-printed uniform, sportswear and accessories for over 25 years.

First-Team Sponsor.

The Wetherby branch is one of the longest established Hunters offices. Our team is widely considered to be the most reputable estate agent in property industry, with a strong market presence.