Darlaston tomorrow are scheduled to welcome Stone Old Alleynians to The Paycare Stadium for the first time. However, the fixture is subject to an early pitch inspection tomorrow morning, given the sudden thaw this afternoon and heavy frost forecast overnight.

If tomorrow’s game does fall foul of the weather, tickets given to local school children for tomorrow’s game will now be transferable and can be used for next Saturday’s home game against Studley.

Stone Old Alleynians over the years despite their distance from the West Midlands have played virtually all of their league football since the 2009/10 season in The West Midlands Regional League.

The only period when they didn’t play locally was when the FA moved them laterally into The North West Counties League at the beginning of the 2018/19 season. During the reorganisation at the end of the COVID period the FA moved Stone once again, this time promoting them into Step 5 and back to Midlands football in the Midland Football League (MFL) at the beginning of the 2021/22 season.

In their first season in the MFL Premier Division Stone finished mid-table in 10th position, this season they are once again in the mid-table region in 13th place having played 30 games won 11, drawn 5 and lost 14 with a -12 goal difference and a 38 point total.

In the form table Darlaston are second, whereas Stone Old Alleynians are currently 17th having won one of their last 6 games, drawn 2 and lost 3. Recent results include a 2-0 away win at Shifnal, Sam Wilson getting both goals in the second half, a 0-0 draw at Wolverhampton Casuals followed by a 3-0 home win against Tividale. Oliver Boote scoring a brace with Jack Tomlinson scoring the final goal of the game. Two games in a week at the end of February saw Stone draw 1-1 with Atherstone Town and closely losing out in midweek under lights to League leaders Walsall Wood 1-0 at The BBG Stadium.

Last Saturday Stone welcomed Shifnal Town who got their revenge on their hosts for the defeat the previous month winning 4-0 at Stone’s Kings Park ground.

Once again, and we keep saying this every week, there are no easy games in this division and Darlaston must be once again at their best to get anything out of tomorrow’s fixture.

Darlaston meanwhile, after two consecutive 4-0 away wins, are really looking forward to The Paycare Stadium, weather permitting. With just 10 games left in their inaugural season at step 5, the club are extremely proud of the team and the clubs performance at this considerably higher level than the club has played in its previous history.

Due to the weather this week training has been problematic and difficult and some may argue that the team will go into tomorrow’s fixture certainly under-cooked, but one thing is for certain, they will not be under-prepared as the management team have travelled to Stone on several occasions to watch tomorrow’s opponents.

We hope many of you will come to The Paycare Stadium if the game is to be played and we ask that you keep an eye on social media and the clubs website for decision following the pitch inspection. We hope this to be somewhere around 10.30 am.

Assuming the game goes ahead
Gates open at 1.00 p.m.

Kick-off 3.00 p.m.

Adults £6.00, Concessions £4.00, Children under 10 FREE

Programmes £2.00

Team sheet in bar before game.

ALL COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS GIVEN TO SCHOOL CHILDREN AND AN ACCOMPANYING ADULT FOR TOMORROWS GAME WILL BE HONOURED IF THE GAME IS POSTPONED, AT THE STUDLEY GAME NEXT SATURDAY AFTERNOON KICK OFF 3PM.

We hope to see as many Darlaston supporters and new faces as possible tomorrow as look forward to our return to The Paycare Stadium after 3 weekends away.