DAVE REES' NON-LEAGUE PREVIEWFA Carlsberg Vase Third RoundLeiston v Daventry TownTHREE Suffolk sides hit the Vase trail today but only Leiston have home advantage.

DAVE REES' NON-LEAGUE PREVIEW

FA Carlsberg Vase Third Round

Leiston v Daventry Town

THREE Suffolk sides hit the Vase trail today but only Leiston have home advantage. It will be a difficult ask for Leiston in what will be their biggest game of the season.

Visitors Daventry, heavily backed financially, are in a rich vein of form. Just one league defeat from their 19 league games and some impressive cup results this season makes this weekend's fixture a close one to call at Victory Road.

Leiston on the other hand go into the match with no wins from their last three games and surrendered top spot last weekend. But like Daventry they are more than capable of beating anything in front of them and both sides have scored in excess of 60 goals this season. The visiting Elderstubbs possess a very potent attacking force but then so do Leiston with striker Lee McGlone in scintillating form to date and winger Danny Cunningham returning from suspension so a very intriguing tie to whet the appetite of the Suffolk public.

Daventry have aspirations for promotion this season so it will be interesting to see if all the eggs will be in their Vase basket. Leiston have four players itching to get their hands on a Vase medal after three final defeats. Weather permitting I will predict an extremely close 3-2 home win.

Match facts

- LEE McGlone hit his 100th League goal for Leiston last week in just 166 appearances.

- Daventry striker Tom Berwick has netted 23 goals in just 19 appearances.

- Leiston have faced United Counties League sides five times in the FA Vase, winning three times. This is only the second time Daventry has faced Ridgeons opposition, defeating Stowmarket this season 5-0.

- Leiston's defeat last week was their first in the league in 14 games. Daventry have won their last 13 games in all competitions.

Leiston

FA Vase record: Fourth Round, January 2009

Ground details:

LTAA

Victory Road

Leiston

Suffolk

IP16 4DQ Tel: 01728 830308

Admission: �6 Adults, �3 Concessions

Programme: �1

Player to watch: Lee McGlone

Daventry Town

FA Vase record: Third Round, December 2008

Player to watch: Tom Berwick

Best of the Rest

TWO weeks ago an Adam Marriott-inspired CRC thumped Needham Market 4-1 at the Abbey Stadium so no doubt the visitors return this weekend with revenge on their minds.

This is CRC's first entry into the Vase while Needham have been losing quarter-finalists and semi-finalists in the past two seasons so can Danny Laws' men go one better this time round?

CRC returned to the top of the league last week while Needham sit just one point behind them. By all accounts the recent league match was closer than the score suggests and last time I predicted an away win to the tune of 2-1. Maybe they are saving this scoreline for this weekend.

This is Kirkley & Pakefield's furthest venture in the Vase and no doubt they will be hoping to emulate neighbours Lowestoft in being an established Vase campaigner.

This weekend they travel to Hoddesdon Town, a ground where they have tasted previous success in the Vase 3-2 in October 2004. Hoddesdon were the first ever winners of the Vase back in 1975 but currently sit eighth in the Spartans South Midlands Division One, a league below Kirkley.

This will be their fifth Vase game this season and they have beaten some decent sides along the way. Surely Kirkley will be favourites but this is the cup of course and on a surface renowned for being heavy, anything could happen. But I feel Kirkley will be too strong and their experienced players will help them get through 4-2.