By Matt Lawton
December 20 2003

FA Cup giantkillers Accrington Stanley make the short trip across Lancashire to Hilton Park on Saturday for a vital Conference game, facing an RMI side determined to put the record straight after losing two previous meetings with Stanley earlier this season. Despite Accrington only being promoted to the Conference this season following their romp to the Unibond Premier Division title last season, Stanley have hit the headlines with two FA Cup victories over Football League opposition.

The two sides were drawn together in the Fourth Qualifying Round of the competition earlier this season and, despite a good performance, RMI lost the tie 2-0 in what was Phil Starbuck's first game in charge of RMI.

Accrington's reward for beating RMI was a plum draw at home to Third Division sleeping giants Huddersfield Town, in a game that was screened live by BBC TV.

A spectacular late goal from substitute Andy Gouck saw the Terriers defeated by a goal to nil, and the nation stood up and take notice of a Stanley side that had gone someway to recovering some of the pride that was lost when the original Accrington Stanley club were forced to resign from the Football League after becoming financially crippling.

Accrington's reward for their victory over Huddersfield was another tie against Third Division opposition, this time an away tie against Bournemouth. Stanley grabbed a deserved draw in the first game, and they came out on top in the Crown Ground replay on a penalty-shoot out on Monday evening. Following their victory over Bournemouth, Stanley have been paired with Second Division outfit Colchester United, and Accrington will certainly fancy their chances of making it a hat trick of shock victories which would see them in the hat for the Fourth Round of the world's oldest, and most famous, knock-out competition, with the game against Colchester taking place in East Lancashire on Saturday January 3rd early next year.

However, before then, Accrington have important Conference business to attend to, as they look to keep up with the Conference leaders and reach the play-offs in their inaugural season in the top flight of English non-league football.

Stanley travel to South Lancashire without Rory Prendergast and Andy Procter, who are both serving one match suspensions after they both picked up five bookings during the course of the season so far, while Steve Hollis is still watching from the sidelines because of a wrist injury.

However, some good news for Stanley is that former Tranmere Rovers star Ged Brannan is set to return to the side, after the recent signing from Wigan Athletic missed the aforementioned Cup victory on Monday night.

RMI boss Phil Starbuck has no injury worries to contend with and has a full strength side to choose from.

He and his squad go in to the game full of confidence, confidence that is further boosted by last weekend's shock 2-1 away victory against last season's play-off finalists, Dagenham & Redbridge.

RMI will be keen to go in to the vitally important Festive period on the back of a good run of form, with two games against Chester and an FA Trophy game against local rivals Stalybridge Celtic in the coming weeks, as the Railwaymen again look to escape the dreaded drop.

Starbuck it set to keep the same side that started at Dagenham next week, and that means a start for on-loan striker Ian Fitzpatrick, who was impressive on his debut last weekend, while Carl Barrowclough retains his place as right wing back.

Leigh will be out to avenge not only the 2-0 cup defeat but also an embarrassing 4-1 away defeat that came in only the second game of the season. A defeat that came following a shock 2-1 victory over Dagenham & Redbridge. Let's hope the pattern doesn't continue.