MATCH PREVIEW: Wealdstone vs Morecambe
- Aryan Jolly
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Off the back of a dramatic FA Trophy victory against Kidderminster Harriers, the Stones return to league action tonight as they host Morecambe in Gary Waddock’s first game in charge of the club!
The Basics
Date: Tuesday, March 3
Venue: Grosvenor Vale, Ruislip, HA4 6JQ
Competition: The Enterprise National League
Kick Off Time: 7:45 pm
Broadcast Information: The game will be available to watch live via DAZN
News From The Vale
Massive news came out of the Vale on Friday evening as Gary Waddock was announced as the Stones’ new manager!
The 63-year-old has enjoyed a near 500-game managerial career to date, most of which have come with Aldershot Town, and he most recently held a coaching role at Walsall.
Gary sat down with club media following his arrival, saying that he is “really looking forward to the challenge ahead.” To watch the full nine-minute interview with the new gaffer, click here.
After securing two wins in his two games as interim manager, Danny Payne will support Garry Waddock as the Assistant Manager. Everyone at Wealdstone Football Club wishes to thank Danny for the excellent job he has done over the past few days.
Alongside confirming the arrival of Waddock, the Stones also announced the return of Elliot Minto on Friday!
Elliot is returning to the Vale for his second stint at the club, having most recently spent time as a First-Team Coach at Solihull Moors, and he is taking on a dual coaching and analysis role. Welcome back to HA4, Elliot!
Our man in form - Sean Adarkwa: The Stones’ number 27 has returned to the starting 11 and returned to the goals over the last couple of games, making him our man in form.
Adarkwa started the season well before missing much of the winter period due to injury issues, but he has led the Stones’ frontline admirably over the last two games.
His start last Tuesday against Brackley Town marked his first league start for the club since the reverse fixture between the two sides in October, and he was a constant menace to the backline with his pace and power.
Adarkwa put in a similarly impressive performance against the Harriers, and he has shown great striker’s instincts to net from close range in both games.
Well done, Sean, keep it up!
The Opposition
Recent form: DLWDL
League Position: 22nd
Morecambe have endured an extremely difficult campaign this season following relegation from League Two.
After not being able to start the season due to off-field issues, the club was saved near the end of August, but results have still not gone their way. Ashvir Singh Johal was dismissed as the Shrimps’ manager in January, but his replacement, Jim Bentley, has won just one of his seven games in charge.
The reverse fixture: The Stones’ visit to the Mazuma Mobile Stadium earlier in the campaign produced what has perhaps been the most entertaining game of the season thus far.
The match did not start well for the Stones, as Jack Nolan gave the hosts the lead inside five minutes.
Morecambe continued in the ascendancy, and a familiar face, Elijah-Dixon Bonner, doubled their lead in the 38th minute.
It looked as if the game had fallen out of the Stones’ reach on the verge of half-time as Admiral Muskwe scored Morecambe’s third goal of the game, but Max Kretzschmar managed to pull a goal back in added time at the end of the first period.
The Stones really began to grow into the game in the second half, and substitute Micah Obiero reduced the deficit to one goal in the 74th minute, before Alfie Massey seemingly completed a miraculous comeback 10 minutes from the end of play.
Unfortunately, it was not to be for the Stones, who had one or two chances to snatch victory, as Emmerson Sutton scored the winning goal for the Shrimps in the 86th minute.
The danger man - Christopher Popov: Although they sit near the bottom of the league table, Morecambe have a number of players who have enjoyed good individual seasons, none more so than Christopher Popov.
The 17-cap Wales under-21 international is a real livewire in the box who also loves running in behind the defence.
Eagle-eyed Stones fans will recognise Popov as he played against the Stones for Leicester City under-21s in the National League Cup earlier this season.
The striker joined Morecambe near the end of January and, after taking a couple of games to settle in, has been a revelation.
Popov has scored a whopping six goals and provided three assists in his nine league games for the club, including scoring a stunning hat trick against Gateshead last Wednesday.
Buy Your Tickets Now!
The Stones are building some momentum following two consecutive victories. Tonight represents an opportunity to keep this momentum going and also welcome Gary Waddock to the club, so why not come down to the Vale?
