Accrington v Cheltenham FA Cup Preview

League One Accrington Stanley take on League Two Cheltenham at the Wham Stadium on Saturday afternoon when Michael Duff and John Coleman’s troops duel it out in a 2nd round FA Cup tie. The reward for the winner apart from the prize money of £54,000, is a potential clash against one of the big boys in top echelons of English football as clubs in the upper tiers of football in England enter the competition in round 3.

Accrington have failed to match the form that saw them promoted to League One and are down to 11th in the table after a last minute winner from Wycombe Wanderers condemned them to a fourth consecutive loss in all competitions. While one goal losses to Blackpool and Rochdale away from home can be overlooked, home losses to Barnsley and Wycombe Wanderers in midweek were quite unexpected.

John Coleman will be desperately seeking a victory in this game to boost the confidence of his players as well as returning to winning ways. Coleman is in his second spell in charge after initially managing the side between 1999 and 2012 and can be said to have done a great job considering the resources at his disposal. There are a few ex-Cheltenham players in the current Accrington side which may add more spark to this fixture. Midfielder Scott Brown and defender Michael Ihiekwe were once on the books of Cheltenham.

While Coleman’s side may be considered the favourites because they play in the upper league, Cheltenham are entering this fixture in much better form. The Robins were on a 4-match winning streak in all competitions, an unbeaten run in 7 games and conceded one goal in the last 5 until Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to League Two's 5th placed team, Bury. Despite the previous form, the loss still meant that Cheltenham remain in the relegation zone in League Two.

Michael Duff’s Cheltenham qualified for the 2nd round at the second attempt to beat Ebbsfleet United in the first round of the competition. Duff will be hoping to cause an upset by defeating a team in a higher league but the 40-year old may be caught in two minds. Duff may prefer to rest his some of his men to preserve their league status knowing that dropping into non-league football would be a complete disaster for Cheltenham.

Both teams have met 16 times with Cheltenham winning on 6 occasions. Accrington have five wins and there has been 5 draws between them. However, Saturday’s game will be the first time both sides meet in a FA Cup tie.

Team News

Cheltenham will monitor Chelsea loanee Jacob Maddox for his fitness but is still expected to play as well as Kelsey Mooney who is expected to return from a knock. Sean Long and Kevin Dawson are still out with injury problems. Liam McAlinden, Conor Thomas and George Lloyd are struggling for fitness.

Accrington’s injury worries include Piero Mingoia, Zehn Mohammed and Andrew Mangan. Billy kee is Accrington’s talisman with 6 goals to his name this season and will be expectant to add to his tally

Verdict

Accrington’s form is dire leading up to this fixture while Cheltenham have performed gallantly until the midweek 4-1 loss to Bury. If Duff starts the core of his team on Saturday, Cheltenham will likely end up winners in an FA cup upset.