AFC Sudbury manager Mark Morsley has said he will pick his ‘strongest available’ side against Needham Market in the Suffolk Premier Cup, at King’s Marsh Stadium, tomorrow night.
Sudbury go into the game on the back of a thrilling 3-2 victory over Tilbury in Bostik North on Saturday and will look to pit their wits against a Needham team who play one level above in the non-league pyramid.
The fact Morsley left Needham two months ago to take up the Sudbury job adds spice to a game many fans are looking forward to... Something Morsley is well aware of.
“I must confess in the grand scheme of things, I’m not overly worried about the Suffolk Premier Cup this season,” Morsley said.
“And I’d rather not be playing Needham at this stage of the competition either.
“I’m going to play my strongest available side, but it will still be a young one. However, there are four or five first years in our academy I would ideally have liked to have a look at too.
“People seem to forget I’ve had no pre-season with this team, so the Premier Cup and Isthmian League Cup offer me a chance to look at other players.
“But I know there is a lot of interest in this fixture against Needham. Our fans will pay their money to come and watch and for that reason I will be taking this fixture more seriously than I might otherwise have done.
“If you were to ask me if I would rather have a win against Needham, or three points against Waltham Abbey in the league on Saturday, it would be the three points on Saturday all day long.”
Sudbury’s victory against Tilbury at the weekend was in contrast to Needham’s disappointing FA Trophy result at Brentwood on Saturday, where Richard Wilkins’ men were well beaten by Brentwood, who are a level below the Marketmen in the pyramid.
“I haven’t spoken to Richard this week, but I can imagine how he is feeling after what was a poor result for them,” Morsley said.
“For us, and the football club as a whole, Saturday was a good day.
“We had a good crowd (254) and we entertained our fans. That’s what we want to do more of.”
Meanwhile, former Needham player, Reece Dobson has joined Sudbury from Harlow.
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