Harleston Town looking forward to returning to action next month

Harleston Town’s joint manager Nicky Howell is looking forward to seeing his side back in action at the start of next month.

Harleston were one of 68 Anglian Combination League clubs to enter the competitions that have been formed by the Norfolk FA, who were keen to give sides in the county the opportunity to play matches after the decision was taken to curtail league campaigns early.

Howell’s men will play in the South Group of the Offside Trust Return to #NorfolkFootball Premier Cup, having been drawn alongside Attleborough Town, Scole United, Mundford and Yelverton.

Teams will play each other once, with the top two advancing through to the quarter-finals, with the semi-finals scheduled for the last weekend in May and the final in early June.

It may not be the battle for promotion his side had targeted this term, but with Harleston having not played since December 12, Howell is pleased they’ve got some action to look forward to.

“The safety of the players always comes first and we were never going to push anything without the FA and league’s approval,” he said.

“They’ve deemed it safe and after discussions with the lads, the majority of them wanted to play.

“It’s the chance for them to get some football in after so long away, which is a big thing. We’ve got a couple of derbies to look forward to as well, but overall it was just been good to see the lads back playing.”

The tournament will also help Harleston prepare for the Norfolk Senior Cup second round home tie against higher-league Fakenham Town, which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 20 (7.45pm).

“As a squad we look to win every game we play, even in this FA competition,” added Howell.

“But it will also give us a good warm up for the Fakenham game. That’s one we really want to be winning.”

Under current restrictions, the encounter against Fakenham will be played behind closed doors.