- Stratford Town and Redditch United have both posted mixed but resilient results in their respective campaigns.
- The last 3 meetings have been very close, with Redditch winning two.
- Stratford's last 2 games have been drawn, Redditch's away record is 0 wins, 2 draws and 0 defeats.
Stratford and Redditch should be evenly matched
Stratford Town will be looking to avoid another disappointing performance when they host Redditch United at Knights Lane. Town sit in 13th place in the Southern League Premier Division Central on 1 point from 1 game, 1 place behind Tuesday's visitors who are 12th. The hosts arrive in mixed form, having posted 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat from their last 5 matches. The last 3 outings have been the most interesting, with a 1-2 home loss to Bromsgrove Sporting being followed up by a solid 0-0 away draw at St Ives Town, and a 1-1 home draw with another promotion hopeful, Worcester City. Redditch United have also posted mixed results, winning 1, drawing 3 and losing 1 of their last 5 games, although the most recent 3 were a 0-0 draw away to Banbury United, a 5-0 thrashing of Quorn at home and a 1-1 draw at home to Leighton Town. This one is finely poised in the market with Stratford 29/25, Redditch 49/25 and the draw 58/25.
Game should be close, with both sides having enough of a cutting edge
Stratford's opening home game in the Southern League Premier Division Central finished level at 1.00-1.00. Town have drawn once at home, whilst Redditch have drawn both of their away games, so these records are pretty similar. Over 2.5 goals at 4/5 and both teams to score at 16/25 look decent to me here, as there could be plenty of chances in an open affair.
Stratford has a back four set up to stay compact, with wide men who can offer plenty of outlet in the advanced areas, and is always looking for a set-piece edge. The team plays with a direct tempo, moving the ball forward quickly in transition, and the players are geared up for this approach. Redditch's style is more controlled with the 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation usually on offer. Mike Fowler's men are patient in midfield, deliver wide, and use their pressing to carve out gaps. Liam Loughlan is their livewire, having scored 3 of the 7 goals they've netted in the past 5 games.
The styles of the two sides should clash in a real derby clash here, with Stratford's directness against Redditch's central control, but I think the most likely scenario is that Stratford nick it, or the teams play out a close draw. The recent head-to-head record certainly points to a close contest and with Redditch having won 2 of their last 3 visits to Stratford, I'm leaning towards the draw.
