Match Preview

Kempston Rovers take on Hythe Town of the Isthmian League Southern Division on Saturday at Hillgrounds in the FA Trophy. This marks the Walnut Boys second campaign in this competition, having progressed to the first qualifying round last season. The match takes place on Non League Day, which is supporting Prostate Cancer UK this year.

Kempston have never previously met Hythe Town in any competition, so they will arrive as an unknown quantity to most Rovers supporters.
Hythe are based in the small coastal Kent town of the same name, just West of Folkstone. Their ground sits between the sea and the Royal Military Canal. The club was founded in its current incarnation in 1992, although there has been a club since 1910 the original club was dissolved in the early 90s and the new club set up. Since promotion from the Kent County Leagues in 2011, the club have been in the southern division of the Isthmian League Division One and have (with one exception) finished in the top eight every season, making the play offs on several occasions. This season, The Cannons have begun well and sit seventh in the table after 12 games on nineteen points, although the table is somewhat distorted as others around them have up to three games in hand at this stage. In their forays into the FA Trophy, Hythe have never gone beyond the second qualifying round stage.

Rovers come into the game on the back of a three game winning streak that has seen nine goals scored and only two conceded, five of the goals scored by leading marksman Jake Newman. Newman leads the scoring charts with twelve in Rovers twelve game so far. Jake and fan favourite Robbie Goodman are the only Kempston players to have featured in every game so far this season.

Should the game finish level, a replay will be required. It will take place on Tuesday 10th, 7:45pm at Hythe’s Reachfields Stadium, CT21 6JS (roughly a two and half hour drive from Hillgrounds, M1, M25, M20, A20, A621, A259, Fort Road)