PREVIEW: Woodbridge Town U18s vs Haverhill Borough U18s

Woodbridge Town U18s manager Aren Howell

Woodbridge Town U18s are back in cup action as they welcome Haverhill Borough in the Quarter-Finals of the Veo Suffolk U18 Midweek Cup. This is a competition that carries history for the club, as we won the inaugural U18 Midweek Cup in the 2014/15 season - beating Newmarket Town 4-0 in the final. The young Peckers will hope to replicate the success from over a decade ago, but know that the visitors will provide a tough test tonight.

It’s not been the season that Woodbridge would’ve hoped for, as they sit bottom of the TNYL Central Division with only one win. But, having only played half of their games, there’s still lots of points to play for in the second half of the season. The table doesn’t represent the quality of this side, just results haven’t fallen in their favour. Haverhill Borough have enjoyed a much better campaign, sitting top of the South West Division, winning every single game so far this season. They will prove a very difficult side to beat, but a challenge that the Peckers will look forward to facing this evening. 

The Midweek Cup has been where the Woodpeckers have provided their best performances, beating Kirkley & Pakefield 0-3 away before dominating Framlingham Town 4-1 at home. Borough have only had to play one fixture in this competition so far, as they smashed Ipswich Wanderers 5-0 to reach the last eight. The goals have been flying in for both sides in this competition, but who will deliver when it matters most?

Woodbridge Town will be looking forward to the return of competitive action, with their last fixture all the way back in December - that match being a 0-3 loss at home to league leaders Hadleigh United. The Peckers will hope to shake off any rustiness and hit the ground running in this Quarter-Final. Haverhill Borough have had a similarly lengthy interruption, with their last game being towards the end of November. This game could be won or lost based on which side can come back to action with a bang, and capitalise on the other team starting slowly.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at the Homestyle UK Ground tonight to get behind the young Peckers in this crunch game. With the side only three wins away from repeating our success in this competition from eleven years ago, there’s reason to be optimistic about this team that packs a lot of potential. It’s a big week for the club, as the Ladies are in Semi-Final action on Sunday; the dream of silverware starting to materialise for many of our Woodbridge teams. Let’s get behind the team for this huge game, and as always, UP THE PECKERS!

If you would like to be notified of more posts like this, as well as exclusive updates, events and information from Woodbridge Town, make sure to sign up to our mailing list on the home page!