- Buxton have won their last 3 home games.
- Buxton have scored 12 goals in their last 5 at home in all competitions.
- South Shields have won only 2 of their 4 away games in all competitions.
Bucking the odds in Derbyshire
The Bucks can make their mark on the cup journey to Wembley with a home win over the Mariners on Saturday.
Buxton have had a mixed week to say the least, having followed up a 3-1 home victory over Chester FC with a 1-0 win against Ashton United, before they were smashed 4-0 away at South Shields. Paul Blackett's side will have a different attitude here as they try to knock out a National League North side on their own patch.
They've won 5 of their last 10 in all competitions, while the Mariners have won 6, drawn 2 and lost 2 of their most recent ten. So, both sides arrive with a decent pulse, but the Bucks have the wind at their backs.
Buxton’s best chance is at home
Both clubs bring different things to the game, with Buxton's style being quite direct and wing-led, while South Shields are a possession based side that do a lot of their damage with quick combinations and an aggressive press. This could be tight and tense, but the home side's best work is usually done on the counter-attack, so if they can win second balls and turn this into a scrap, their pace and crossability should be a factor.
The price for Buxton to take this one at 213/100 looks about right given South Shields have lost their last 2 away games at the wrong time. The visitors have conceded 9 goals across their 4 away fixtures in all competitions and that is something that Buxton can exploit.
Going for goals
The hosts have scored 12 times in their last 5 at home in all competitions and average 2.40 goals per game, so they look lively in the final third.
Sisa Tuntulwana is their greatest threat with 4 goals in their last 5 matches, while he's scored nearly half of Buxton's goals in that time. Paul Blackett is the sharp shooter for the visitors with 4 of their 8 goals coming in their last 5.
We're going for a Buxton home win, but given the contrasting styles of these two sides, there's every chance that this could be a tight affair and we're backing the hosts to nick it.
