Make it a double is the order of the day
- dbettley
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Sporting Khalsa v RUNCORN LINNETS
Pitching In Northern Premier League West
Saturday, December 13th (ko 3pm)
Guardian Warehousing Arena, Noose Lane, Willenhall, WV13 3BB.
After being foiled by the elements on Tuesday as rain forcing the postponement of our home game against leaders Lower Breck, Linnets expect no such problems on Saturday as they chase a first league double of the season.
The Yellow and Green army journey south to face Sporting Khalsa on their all-weather pitch at the 5,000-capacity Guardian Warehousing Arena.
This is the return match to October's first ever meeting of the clubs, which Runcorn won 4-1 with goals from Harvey Washington, Sean Miller, Naim Arsan and Lewis Crane.
Andre Landell's 54th-minute goal had halved Khalsa's interval deficit but Linnets scored twice late on to seal victory.
Team news
New recruit James Steele is in contention to make his return Linnets debut at the second attempt, having seen it delayed in midweek.
The first of his 10 appearances in his previous Linnets spell was in the 1-1 home NPL West draw against Glossop North End on Saturday, December 11th 2021.
James's only Linnets goal so far came in the 2-1 victory over Prescot Cables on December 27th, also in the league.
Recent arrivals at Sporting Khalsa include full back Mikkel Hurst and central defender Dominic Perkins (both from Melton Town), winger Harvey Watts (on duel registration with Alvechurch) and Jayden Hunter (from Boldmere St Michael's).
Form guide
Sporting Khalsa have played 10 home league games - winning three, with four defeats and three draws.
They won their first two against Congleton (3-1) and Nantwich Town (1-0) but since defeating visiting Bury 2-0 on October 18th, they have accrued only two points in four games at the Arena.
Away defeats to Vauxhall Motors and Atherton Collieries among their last six outings have left Khalsa bottom of the NPL West form table.
The Lions currently find themselves in the division's drop zone, 19th of 22, on 17 points from 21 games.
Stalybridge's midweek victory over Nantwich in the only midweek fixture to survive Storm Bram saw Linnets drop one place to sixth.
But we have played at least one and up to three games fewer than all teams around us and victory could lift us to third if results elsewhere also go our way.
Linnets have 35 points from 18 games -13 from the last six lifting us to third in the form table, behind Vauxhall Motors and Avro who have each dropped just the three points out of the last 18 available.
Our destination
Willenhall is a market town in the Metroplitan Borough of Walsall with a population of about 50,000. It was historically in Staffordshire but now in West Midlands.
The town was traditionally renowned for the manufacture of locks and keys.
Sporting Khalsa's ground was formerly home to Willenhall Town FC, but has undergone substantial refurbishment since they acquired it in 2011.
It is enhanced by the Black Country Performance Hub, a community facility hosting multiple sports and leisure activities.
Famous footballing sons
Allan 'Sniffer' Clarke, the Leeds United and England inside forward of the late 1960s and 70s, was born in the Short Heath district of Willenhall as the second of five brothers to play professionally.
The others are Frank, Derek, Kelvin and Wayne, who was a Football League title winner with Everton in 1986-87.
How to get there
By car - From M6 Junction 10, take A454 towards Wolverhampton. After 1.5 miles branch left, then at Keyway Island take the 2nd exit onto A454. Go through one roundabout and at traffic lights make a U turn at Neachells Road, then turning left into Noose Lane. The ground is located about 100 metres on the left.
By train - The nearest main railway station is Wolverhampton. There is a service from Runcorn. You can plan your journey here.
Adjacent to the railway is the bus station from where the 529 runs every ten minutes. A journey of around ten minutes to the end of Noose Lane leaves a five to ten minute walk to the ground.
Parking
There is a large car park to the front of the stadium with limited disabled spaces and ample parking on side streets.
Admission
Adults - £10
Concession (Over 65) £7
Under 18s - £5
(Turnstiles are near the car park, behind the small-sided pitches).
Catering and bars
The snack bar inside the ground serves hot food, hot and cold drinks, sweets and confectionery. The club bar is open before and during the game. The 442 bar at the front of the stadium is used after the game.
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