HTFC PROGRAMME 2113-14 DESIGN Issue 23 | Page 8

TONIGHT’S OPPONENTS We welcome to Keys Park the players, officials and supporters of Brackley Town I have been to Brackley Town's St James Park stadium on all three occasions that we have played there as it is a fairly local ground for us. In those three games, only two goals were scored, and none of them before the 85th minute. We've had a 1-0 win, a 1-0 defeat and a 0-0 draw, so very tight encounters indeed. The games at Keys Park haven't been as tight with the Pitmen winning 2-0 when we last played them and Brackley winning the other game at Keys Park 4-1 a few seasons ago. Brackley Town FC have had a steady rise through the Non-League pyramid in recent years. It all started in 2003/04 when the club won the Hellenic League Premier Division title. The club has won three promotions in nine seasons, spending three seasons in the Southern League Western Division and the renamed Division One Midlands, and five seasons in the Southern League Premier Division, which they won in 2011/12. Their only season in the Conference North last season returned a third place finish and a play-off final loss to FC Halifax Town. The club has never reached the latter stages of the FA Trophy or the FA Vase, but earlier this season the club had its best ever run in the FA Cup, beating Gresley, Boston United, Barrow and League One Gillingham in a televised replay, before losing out to Macclesfield Town in the second round. 8 thePitmen Brackley Town are managed by Jon Brady, a well-known name in Non-League football from his time at Rushden & Diamonds, Chester City and Kettering Town. The playing squad has recently been boosted by the arrival of loanee Ryan Rowe from Kidderminster, formerly of Stourbridge, but the key man for Brackley undoubtedly will be striker Stefan Moore, who has already scored two goals against us for Leamington this season, the second one being probably the best goal I have ever seen scored against us. Brackley Town have had a poor run of recent form but they will be buoyed by the 5-0 win at Bradford Park Avenue on Saturday, and with six points separating the two teams with just six matches to go, three points for either team against the other will prove vital in the race for a top five finish. Article by: Lee Kempson leekmpsn@yahoo.co.uk Brackley Town Fact File Nickname: The Saints Founded: 1890 Ground: St James Park ,Brackley Manager: Jon Brady 2012-13: 3rd Conference North