By Arandeep Singh Dhillon & Tom Paterson
It has been all Hyde and no Jekyll for the Manchester-based basement side of the Skrill football conference of late.
Hyde travel to fourth-placed Luton Town at the weekend having lost 2-0 at home to Gateshead on Tuesday, their seventh home defeat in the league so far this season.
Even more galling for manager Scott McNiven, Hyde have gone six months without a win and are already seven points adrift of Aldershot with a goal difference of -26 from 14 games.
“I’m sick of us not scoring, it’s really driving me mad,” said McNiven.
“We’ve got enough talent in our changing room to beat teams like this but they’re all young. They may need a bit of guidance, a bit of an experienced head up there.
“The pressure’s very much on because we don’t want to be cut adrift like we are. We’ve got to chip away at it month by month, it’s not going to turn over night it’s going to be a gradual thing.”
Stockport County are back in FA Cup action as they face Rushall Olympic at home following their 4-2 win over Barrow on Tuesday.
That win took County up to 11th in the Blue Square Bet conference north table and advancing in the FA Cup would keep up an impressive run of form. They are now unbeaten in four games and scoring seems to be coming easy to them with four goals in their last two.
Ashton United, Curzon Ashton, Stockport and Trafford can all edge one match away from a dream FA Cup first-round proper tie with victory tomorrow.
Steve Halford’s Ashton travel to Stamford while Curzon will play in the Midlands as they take on Stourbridge.
Stockport play Rushall Olympic, who have been reinstated to the competition after the Football Association decided to uphold their decision to boot Gainsborough Trinity out of the competition for fielding an ineligible player.
Garry Vaughan’s Trafford visit Steel Park to take on Corby Town and the manager has said his players have been unfazed in what is, for some, the biggest match of their lives.
“There are no nerves at all, we know what we have got to do,” said Vaughan.
“We have got a nice young squad and they are full of confidence.”
In the Evo-Stik Premier Division, bottom-of-the-table Droylsden host Grantham Town and FC United of Manchester face Kings Lynn Town away as they try to claim their seventh league win of the season.
The First Division North sees Salford City travel to Lancaster City and Mossley host New Mills.
Mossley manager Peter Band stated his players were all ‘confident’ of winning at Giant Axe, a result that could see them climb to eighth in the league.
Image courtesy of Rambler1977, with thanks.
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