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Bees embark on FA Cup trail




AN FA Cup tie to kick-start your season is hardly the best way to get things started but that’s the daunting task facing Mike Fowler and his Studley side.

The Bees travel to Lutterworth Town for Saturday’s extra preliminary round tie with the Leicestershire side able to warm up with two league games in the United Counties Premier South.

In contrast, Studley’s final test before the weekend was a gruelling 5-0 defeat against a strong Solihull Moors side.

Action from Studley’s final pre-season game with Solihull Moors. Photo: Dicky King
Action from Studley’s final pre-season game with Solihull Moors. Photo: Dicky King

Fowler said: “Lutterworth are playing competitive league football at the moment – Saturday and Tuesday – so that’s an unfair playing field in my opinion.

“They will have played two competitive games already and it was the same last season when we played Coventry United and that showed with us being a bit tentative, nervous and rusty while they were a little more cohesive.

“The Solihull game was always going to be tough and the result went the way we thought it would against a strong side made up of first team National League players. In the first 25 minutes we were excellent – disciplined and well-organised – but then the drinks break kicked in after which we decided to go after them and couldn’t live with their leg speed, fitness and movement.

“You never know what the perfect preparation is for the new season. You need to lose a game of football so that you are not complacent and you need to have a runaround in terms of fitness. But with it being four days before an FA Cup tie you could argue that they’ve worked harder than they needed to but at the same time – and no disrespect to Lutterworth – the opposition on Saturday are not going to ask as many questions as a Solihull Moors National League team.”

Fowler has had a busy summer strengthening his squad after losing key players.

The Bees boss added: “I am really happy with the recruitment particularly after losing some key players up the top end of the pitch – Zac Guinan, Romario Martin, Finn Holmes. You have to replace them and I’m happy with what we have brought in.

“We have Jamie Spiers who is a talented lad with lots of potential and has scored three goals in five pre-season games. We have Jack Sang who has been injured and played his first 45 minutes against Solihull and Ash Demulder who we knew already and he has goals in him.”

Earlswood Town start their season on Saturday with a home match with Cadbury Athletic in the Les James Challenge Cup while Hellenic League Division One pair Southam United and FC Stratford start on the road - with games at Redditch Borough and Shortwood United.



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