Felixstowe & Walton host Suffolk rivals AFC Sudbury this weekend for the second time this season, with the Seasiders hoping to secure all three points in their Bostik North encounter.
The last meeting, back in September, was in The Velocity Trophy where Felixstowe came away victorious 4-3 on penalties after a goalless 90 minutes.
But the home side, who crushed Long Melford 8-1 in the Suffolk Premier Cup on Wednesday night, are expecting a different game and a sterner test this time around.
Seasiders’ joint coach Ian Watson said: “We didn’t see the real Sudbury in the league cup. We could easily have lost to a very young Sudbury side, and Saturday will see a stronger side from our local rivals.”
He added: ”We have a full squad to pick, from which is good for us.”
Sudbury currently find themselves in 18th place in the league but this lowly position is almost certainly not an indication of where they will finish this season.
Their presence near the bottom is partly due to the excellent Emirates FA Cup run the club has had, going out in the Third Qualifying Round 2-1 away at Haringey Borough last weekend.
Joint coach Kevin O’Donnell told Seasiders TV: “This will be a good test for us to determine where our squad is in regards Step 4 football.
“Previous games against Sudbury in recent years have all been cup games where squad changes have played a big part, as shown in our league cup match earlier in the season.
“I expect to see two strong squads pushing for three points, so this should be an entertaining game for fans.”
This local derby, due to be played one week ago, was postponed due to Sudbury’s run in the FA Cup.
The delay, however, means this fixture now takes place on National Non-League Day with a “Pay what you want” policy at the turnstile, and a 50/50 draw with proceeds going to Prostate Cancer UK.
The club will also unveil the new Colneis Road Stand – sponsored by Absolute Refrigeration – which adds another 100 seats to the ground, bringing covered capacity up to 325, and providing another example of the ambition at Felixstowe & Walton.
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