Bridlington Town quartet set to return from injury for trip to Stockton Town

Having been knocked out of the FA Cup 3-0 to Bishop Auckland, Adrian Costello’s side had a weekend off, which may not be too disappointing for the Bridlington manager, who is already struggling with player unavailability and as such has only named four substitutes in each of Bridlington’s opening two league games, writes Ben Edwards.

Benn Lewis, Finlay Southcoat, Adam Stockhill and Andy Norfolk all missed their last game against Grimsby Borough, though Costello says the quartet should be back for Wednesday's trip.

The Brid gaffer also hopes that new signings Jack Walters and Pete Davidson will return from injury, having both trained on Saturday following hamstring injuries that have sidelined them for the start of the new season.

Stockton were in FA Cup action on Saturday, having got a bye into the preliminary round. The game was tied at 1-1, meaning a replay would have been needed and therefore the fixture against Brid would have been postponed. However, Kevin Hayes netted late to send Stockton into the First Qualifying Round.

It’s been a similar start to the 2023/24 campaign for both Stockton and Bridlington. Wednesday’s hosts drew 2-2 at home to Stocksbridge Park Steels, before picking up a 2-1 defeat at Hebburn Town.

Brid bounced back from a 3-1 defeat on the road to Dunston, drawing 2-2 with Grimsby Borough in their opening home game. They found themselves 2-0 behind, but Jake Martindale halved the deficit before the break, with Glen Sani getting the equaliser, netting his first goal for the club in the 97th minute.

The Grimsby Borough game was a feisty affair, with both sides being reduced to 10 men.

Substitute Max Ezard was shown a second yellow card on his first appearance, and will therefore miss the Stockton match through suspension. Caine Winfarrah was also given his marching orders for Grimsby.

As a result, Brid currently sit 13th with their single point in two games, whilst Stockton are just one place higher with the same points tally.

The last game between the two sides at the Map Group UK Stadium ended in a Stockton walkover, ending 4-0 to the Anchors. The reverse fixture in March, however, was the complete opposite.

Martindale’s header was the only goal of the game, as Brid picked up a 1-0 victory against the odds.

Brid will be hoping for a similar outcome in order to pick up their first victory of 2023/24. However, they will be very aware that it is by no means an easy task as there is no denying their opponents quality.

They finished second in the Northern Premier League East Division last season, only being denied promotion to the Premier Division having lost the playoff final 4-3 on penalties against Long Eaton United.

The Seasiders will play host to struggling Liversedge on Saturday and then Costello’s men will head to Winterton Rangers on Bank Holiday Monday, both kicking off at 3pm.