This weekend, first place FC Lakeside Reserves take on third place AFC Kempsey in a game that local expert Rob Morrison claims could shape the Cheltenham Premier Division early in the season.
Lakeside sit top of the division having won six and lost two in eight games so far the season and “were always going to be early season contenders” according to Morrison after a strong last season.
However having lost two already Morrison expects Lakeside to struggle against two strong unbeaten sides in Kempsey and Winchcombe, both of which have two matches in advance.
Lakeside have played weaker opponents than Kempsey so far, dispatching of 9th place Shurdington Rovers 4-2 away from home last week.
Their biggest threat by far will be attacker Bradley Edwards who has garnered an astounding thirteen goals and three assists in just nine appearances.
The pedigree of the team was brought into dispute after losing earlier in the season 2-0 to fellow title hopefuls Winchcombe Town, leading some fans to be sceptical of their legitimate threat.
Morrison claims he is struggling to look beyond Kempsey in terms of the fixture and it’s clear to see why as they are currently unbeaten in all competitions this season.
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Kempsey propose a dynamic threat to any team they face as proven by the fact they have scored three or more goals in 6/7 of their games so far this year.
Some standouts for Kempsey will be Ethan O’neil who has seven goals in six and Josh Cochrane with nine in the same.
With such captivating attacking displays its no wonder as to why Kempsey are the favourites for both the fixture and the league.
Ironically Lakeside’s Cold Pool Lane could turn into a soggy sight as a downpour is expected for Saturday’s game which could potentially throw the tie into disaray.
Rob Morrison predicts that; “The wetter it gets, the more challenges are posed”, lining it up to be a wet, worrying and unpredictable affair.
Depending on the result Morrison fears the game could “make or break” Lakeside’s season believing three losses would just be too much to overturn so early in the season.
