Lancaster City prepares for 'Halloween Match Day'

Lancaster City FC wants fans to wear Halloween fancy dress for their FA Trophy clash this weekend.

The Dollies will take on Gainsborough Trinity at the Giant Axe on Saturday in the Isuzu FA Trophy where a win will see them progress to the second round of the competition.

The club is encouraging children and adults alike to come to the game in fancy dress on Saturday, with trophies for the best costumes and sweets for all children who come dressed up.

As ever, all children under the age 14 get free admission on the day if they are with a paying adult.

The two sides met earlier in the season in the league, a game which the Dolly Blues won 2-0 thanks to goals from Dom Lawson and Dale Whitham.

Last season, Lancaster City were knocked out on penalties in a replay of the third round of the FA Trophy by Morpeth Town, the team they beat 6-3 this season to progress from the qualifying stage of the competition.

Gainsborough Trinity, meanwhile, exited last season’s edition of the trophy after a 2-1 defeat to the Dollies. This year, they were victorious in the qualifying round against Barwell.

Trinity currently sit 11th in the Northern Premier League Premier Division and have had a brilliant away record which they will want to extend to the cup, winning four and drawing two of their six games on the road.

Nineteenth-placed Lancaster City played out a stalemate against Liversedge on Tuesday night (October 25), a result which kept them in the relegation zone.

Manager Mark Fell told the club website “neither team wanted”. The Dollies created plenty of chances, like their opponents, but couldn’t apply a finishing touch to any of them.

Fell also said on Tuesday that the club might have Ed Ikpakwu back for Saturday’s game after a spell on the sidelines.

Speaking about the cup tie at the weekend, the Dollies boss believed that his side’s 2-0 win over Trinity in August “doesn’t mean an awful lot – it’s a cup game, it’s 11 v 11, it’s all the cliches you want to say.”

He explained the importance of the fixture, saying “it’s a big game for this football club, not just (for) the finances associated with the (FA) Trophy but also the fact that we’ve got to gather a bit of momentum.”