Two Cumbrian sides are in action tonight as football starts early.
Penrith travel to Pickering for an FA Cup tie while Windscale are on the road to Willington for the start of the Wearside League season.
Pickering share their ground with the local cricket club who have a game tomorrow, hence the switch to Friday night for this extra preliminary round.
Windscale are none too fussed about their move to Friday night as manager Stephen Fawcett reckons his players prefer it for away trips as it frees up their weekends.
It’s a rare opening home tie for Pickering as the previous five seasons have seen them drawn away from home and losing on each occasion.
In actual fact this will be the third time in six seasons that Pickering have faced Penrith in the competition and when not drawing them in the FA Cup they managed to draw them in the FA Vase in the 2023/24 season.
Recent Cup games between the two sides have produced 3-2, 3-1 and 3-0 victories for the Bonny Blues and when they met in the Northern League in the 2022/23 season Penrith completed a double with 2-1 and 4-1 victories – the second at Pickering.
Penrith manager Jim Nichols will be looking to make progress after two successive Northern League draws to open the season. On both occasions the Cumbrians threw away 2-0 leads.
In the Wearside League it’s a trip to Willington for the Atoms as they get the competition underway tonight.
Fawcett will be taking a much-changed squad over to the north-east as seven players have left, the majority through injuries which in some cases have proved to be career-ending.
There have been promotions for reserve team players while former Whitehaven forward Travis Fyfe has joined the group.
Willington’s golden period is long gone – FA Amateur Cup winners in 1949/50 and Northern League champions three times, the last in 1929/30.
But they were a Northern League side only tyhree years ago biut two relegations saw them end in the Wearside League’s First Division, bouncing back to the Premier Division at the first time of asking.
Windscale manager Fawcett said: “I’m always happy to see the back of pre-season and get into the ‘proper games.’
“You can do as much pre-season work as you want but it’s very difficult to replicate the competitiveness of a league fixture so I’m pleased we’re getting under way now.
“We travel to Willington who are really on the crest of a wave as such, having been promoted last season from the division below, not forgetting they were a northern league club three years ago and I know they’re still full of ambition so it’s going to be a tough opener that’s for sure.
“We go there with a strong squad. Four Wearside League debutants are included but everyone is really keen to make a strong start so I’m looking forward to seeing us put on a good performance.”
