With back-to-back wins under their belt, next up for the Coasters is a much-anticipated trip to Notts County – the oldest association football club in the world.

 

County have run a brilliant ticketing initiative for the fixture dubbed ‘AFC123’, which sees tickets priced from just £1 for the game (which expires at midnight 27th September).

With this offer running, the league’s attendance record of 11,805 (set by Bristol Rovers in 2015) could be smashed – but this isn’t something that will faze Dave Challinor’s side.

“I don’t think our players will be overawed by it at all – but it’ll be a great environment to play in,” he said ahead of the game.

“We’ve got lads in the dressing room that have played in front of this kind of crowd, and have experiences that they can draw on.”

“Whether it’s the Football League or two Wembley finals last year, including one in front of 30,000+, these are the games you want to be involved in.”

“It’s a big ground, they’re a massive club for this level with lots of history surrounding them, and the fact there’ll be a bumper crowd is a big opportunity – if I was a player I’d be doing everything I can to step up.”

With six points on the board in four days for AFC Fylde, a renewed sense of confidence will no doubt be flowing through the team.

Dispatching Eastleigh on BT Sport was swiftly followed with a comeback against Wrexham, and now presents the Coasters a good chance to keep their momentum heading in the right direction.

“It’s been a good couple of days – there’s always going to be a slightly more jovial response to winning, as ultimately it breeds confidence,” said Challinor.

“It’s a quick turnaround, which doesn’t give you an awful lot of time to reflect on the previous game without changing focus to the next game, which will be the case over the next two weeks.”

“They’ve probably not started as well as they would have liked – but over recent weeks they have put something of a run together.”

Personnel has changed quite a lot over the recent weeks, be it injury or suspension, so they’re drawing on a big, experienced squad.

With just one point separating Fylde and County at this stage of the season, it looks set to be a tight affair at Meadow Lane.

The Magpies dusted themselves down from a loss at Bromley to record a win at Boreham Wood in midweek – and know a win could see them push them into playoff places.

“It’s two similar styles with similar formations, but ultimately it’s about the players, and if we can do what we did against Wrexham on Tuesday then we’ll cause them lots of problems.

“We’ve tinkered a little bit with systems and personnel and tried to find the right balance.

Tuesday saw us go back to a system that worked last season, but in the main we played with more of a freedom, in the way we want to.

“We go there looking to win, and to make it three on the bounce.”

Away Travel

Away travel is available for the fixture, departing Mill Farm at 11am.

To purchase yours, please click here.