The Emirates FA Cup returns for another season, and the Coasters get set to host North Premier League West Division side Leek Town in the Fourth Qualifying Round.
With both sides aiming to take a place in the First Round proper, we take a look at our opponents in a little more depth.
The Lowdown
The Coasters come into this FA Cup tie with Leek Town on the back of three straight defeats, which saw the departure of Adam Murray on Sunday night.
Leek travel to Mill Farm for their fifth match in the FA Cup already after defeating South Shields, Worcester City, Grimsby Borough and Belper Town.
In terms of league form, the Blues continued their form from the cups, impressively defeating Stalybridge Celtic 5-1 away from home last weekend.
Leek currently sit in 13th place in the league table – however, they have three games in hand on most of the division, which means wins in these games could see them as high as second in the league.
The Manager: Josh Brehaut
Josh joined the club in the summer, originally as assistant to Neil Baker before Baker got the sack after a defeat to local rivals Kidsgrove Athletic.
He then took over as first team manager in September and hasn’t looked back since. Since Brehaut took over, the Blues have lost one game out of six, which was in the FA Trophy.
Before joining the Blues, Brehaut strutted his coaching knowledge around the Potteries, enjoying spells at Kidsgrove, Stoke City and Port Vale. Most of his career has been spent at academy level -however, Brehaut seems to be doing pretty well at first-team management.
Coming into this game with the Coasters, Leek will be described as the underdogs, but with a potential upset on the cards, Brehaut will have his players fighting for their lives on Saturday.
Key Players
Saul Milovanovic – The highly-rated midfielder joined the club in the summer from Matlock Town with a very impressive CV.
Spells in New Zealand and more recently Kettering Town, Saul finds himself at a level where he can truly display his skills to his potential at a consistent rate, with opportunities more generous than previous clubs.
Rob Stevenson – The striker has certainly made himself known in the Potteries, and especially at Leek, notching over 250 appearances in different spells with the club. After scoring a hat-trick last weekend, Stevenson certainly knows how to find the net.
Tom Scully – A young midfielder with bags of potential, Scully is certainly making a name for himself at this level. Floating around clubs such as Everton, Norwich and Accrington, Scully has found his home in Leek.
Previous meetings
There are no previous meetings between the two sides.
Opposition Form
Leek travel to the Fylde Coast after an average start to the season, which has been sidetracked by cup runs.
Ten Points from six games in the league sees them sitting in mid-table – however, with three games in hand, things could change for the Blues, and they could find themselves sitting in the playoffs.
However, an early departure from the FA Trophy would not have been on the cards, but that may have been forgiven for how well the Blues have done in the FA Cup, and a win against the Coasters guarantees them a First Round tie.
Chris Beech will have to rejuvenate the Fylde squad after three straight defeats – however, qualification into the next round will not be as easy as everyone may think.
