United aiming for five in a row

Cyprus under-21 international, Angelos Tsiaklis could make his FC United debut as the Reds look to make it five consecutive victories this weekend against North Ferriby United.

Karl Marginson’s side are unbeaten in 2010 a run of six games which has seen United rise up the UniBond Premier League table. With March fast approaching so to is the ’business end’ of the season and Margy has been keen to bring in some new recruits to help with a final push for promotion.

Tsiaklis’ international clearance has arrived from the Welsh FA after signing from Wrexham, whilst former Salford City centre-back Mark Ayres got his first taste of FC United action by coming on as a substitute last Saturday at Frickley and this week his former team-mate at Moor Lane, Adam Karim has joined United’s defensive ranks.

Craig Phillips provides the preview of the match which could be the first of many ’six-pointers’ as FC United push for a place in the play-offs"¦

Margy’s men come into the game full of confidence and boosted by the news that striker Kyle Wilson has been signed for another month on loan from League Two side Macclesfield Town.

It may be worth noting that Wilson has yet to lose a game in a FC United shirt this season, scoring four goals in his five games.

But Margy’s men will know that Saturdays game should arguably be the toughest encounter of this calendar year and will be a real test to United’s credentials should they wish to push further up the league towards the play-off places.

Saturday’s opponents are no strangers to FC United, having met them twice already this season and United have a good record against North Ferriby. Last season, United won both league fixtures; 2-0 away from home, before a 4-0 win at home later in the season, and a 1-0 win in the FA Cup earlier this season sees United with three victories from four games against The Villagers.

The last time the two teams met though it was the opposition who came out on top with a 1-0 win in a game where Carlos Roca missed a second half penalty and Dave Neville was sent off, so United will be looking to put right those wrongs on Saturday afternoon.

North Ferriby United was originally formed in 1934 after it was decided at a village meeting that a local football team would be a good idea, and they initially played in the East Riding Church league, winning the title in 1938.

With players otherwise engaged during the second world war the club was reformed shortly after the war, and joined the East Riding Amateur League, before moving to the Yorkshire League in 1969.

The club joined the newly formed Northern Counties Eastern league in 1982, and moved their way up through the divisions, before winning promotion to the Unibond League in 2000.

In 2005 they were promoted to the Unibond Premier Division, and a year later they were play-off finalists losing out to Farsley Celtic in the final.

The Villagers most notable cup run came in 1997 when they reached the final at Wembley of the FA Vase; a match they eventually lost 3-0 to Whitby Town.

Dean Windass is the club most famous player having started his career their in 1990, before moving to Hull City in 1991; Windass of course went on to score the most famous goal in Hull’s history sealing promotion to the Premiership in 2008.

The club has been going well this season and currently sit fourth in the league, with 45 points from 23 games (ten ahead of United with the same games played) and have one of the ebst defences in the league, conceding only 28 goals in those 23 games.

But despite their good league position the Villagers have won only once in their last four outings (a very good 4-2 victory over Bradford Park Avenue, coming from two goals down), but before this had won six consecutive games in the league.

The Villager’s main danger man is Gary Bradshaw who has netted an impressive 22 goals this season, including 17 in the league.

Saturday’s game is the usual 3pm kick off but before the game there is the Beyond The Debt supporters’ rally which gets underway at 12 noon in the Gigg Lane social club. So get yourself down to that football ground and be part of what could be one of the biggest games of the end of season run-in.