PREVIEW | KIMBERLEY MINERS WELFARE VS EYNESBURY ROVERS

THE MINERS ARE BACK IN CUP ACTION AT THE STAG AFTER A LAST ROUND REPRIEVE

UP NEXT, Kimberley play host to Eynesbury Rovers in the GCE Hire Fleet United Counties League Sports Ground Development Cup. Despite a 3-0 home defeat to Ashby Ivanhoe in the last round, the miners find themselves in round two after Ashby were found to have fielded a cup-tied player in the last fixture.

Eynesbury Rovers make an almost hundred mile trip from just outside Huntingdon to The Stag Ground in their quest to reach round three of the cup, having beaten Deeping Rangers 4-2 in the last round.

Kimberley will see this match as an opportunity to put in a performance and build some confidence ready for the resumption of league action on Wednesday night. Last Saturday, the miners welcomed Harrowby United to The Stag Ground. Harrowby went a goal up before Nat Peters bagged his third goal in four matches to send the sides in level at half time. The now customary second half lapse came into play, with Harrowby scoring twice inside the first ten minutes of the half. Braeden Noon-Brandy scored a late consolation for Kimberley as they lost 3-2. On the up side, this was the first time the Miners had scored twice in a match since the beginning of September.

Eynesbury Rovers will go into the match in a confident mood, as they currently occupy twelfth spot in Premier Division South. Their last match came on Tuesday evening in the form of a home fixture against Godmanchester Rovers. First half goals from Richard Chadwick, Oskar Ciach and an own goal ended the contest at 3-0 at half time. Godmanchester pulled a consolation goal back in the second half, but the damage was already done. The comfortable victory gave Eynesbury a first win in three after a draw and loss previously.

LAST TIME AROUND

The two sides have never met before, so this match will represent a large element of the unknown.

A LITTLE ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
Eynesbury Rovers was established in 1897. After playing friendly matches, they joined the Biggleswade & District League, before switching to the St Neots Junior League.[1] The club won the league in 1910–11 and went on to win their first major honour, the Hunts Senior Cup, in 1913–14. They won the Hunts Junior Cup in 1921, 1927 and 1932, and were champions of Division Two of the Bedford & District League in 1926–27, 1930–31 and 1931–32. In 1934 they joined Division Two of the South Midlands League and were promoted to Division One at the end of the first season in the league, which saw them finish as Division Two runners-up. After World War II the club switched to the United Counties League. They won the Hunts Senior Cup four times between 1946 and 1951, and the Hunts Premier Cup in 1951, before joining the Eastern Counties League in 1952, becoming the most westerly club ever to play in the league.

Eynesbury won the Hunts Senior Cup again in 1954–55 and 1956–57.[5] However, financial problems forced the club to revert to amateur status. In 1960–61 they failed to win a league match all season and gained only three points, finishing bottom of the league. Although they won the Cambridgeshire Invitation Cup the following season, in 1962–63 they again finished bottom of the league and left to rejoin the United Counties League. They continued to struggle, finishing in the bottom two for five of the next eight seasons, although they did win the Senior Cup again in 1969–70. At the end of the 1971–72 season they finished bottom again and were relegated. In 1976–77 they won the (now-renamed) Division One and were promoted back to the Premier Division. The club won the Hunts Senior Cup in 1984–85 and then three times in a row between 1990–91 and 1992–93. Further wins were achieved in 1995–96 and 1999–2000.

In 2000–01 Eynesbury finished bottom of the Premier Division and were relegated to Division One. The following season they won their fifteenth Senior Cup. In 2012–13 the club were Division One runners-up and promoted to the Premier Division. They won the Senior Cup again in 2016–17. At the end of the 2018–19 season the club were transferred to the Premier Division of the Spartan South Midlands League. Two seasons later they were transferred back to the United Counties League, joining the Premier Division South.

Honours
United Counties League - Division One champions 1976–77
Bedford & District League - Division Two champions 1926–27, 1930–31, 1931–32
St Neots Junior League - Champions 1910–11
Hunts Premier Cup - Winners 1950–51, 1990–91, 1995–96
Hunts Senior Cup - Winners 1913–14, 1946–47, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1969–70, 1984–85, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1999–2000, 2001–02,[5] 2016–17
Hunts Junior Cup - Winners 1920–21, 1926–27, 1931–32
Cambridgeshire Invitation Cup - Winners 1961–62

FINALLY

With a place in the next round of the cup, we hope that both teams will go out all guns blazing and give us an exciting match.

Kimberley will want to finally take a good first half into a full ninety minutes.

Please come along and support the lads.