Lancaster City take on Ilkeston Town and Workington in four days

Lancaster City will play against two sides who have joined the NPL Premier Division this season in the space of four days.

They host Ilkeston Town on Saturday (September 23) before travelling to Workington AFC on Tuesday (September 26).

The Dolly Blues have had a fantastic start to the season and are currently second in the league, having won four, drawn two and lost one of their opening seven.

Mark Fell’s side have also progressed to the second round of the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy and the third qualifying round of the Emirates FA Cup.

They haven’t lost a game since August 15, when they were beaten 4-2 by NPL Premier Division leaders Radcliffe.

They have put together an eight game unbeaten run and are yet to lose at home - they’ll be hoping to continue their strong form at The Giant Axe when they face Ilkeston Town.

‘The Robins’, founded only six years ago, were transferred from the Southern League Premier Division Central in the summer.

They finished seventh in that league last season and, at present, occupy the same position in the NPL Premier Division, having played one more game than Lancaster.

Despite the club’s decent start to the season, they parted company with then manager Gary Hayward at the start of September after losing 3-0 to Mickleover in the FA Cup First Qualifying Round.

That led to fan favourite Ian Deakin being installed as the new first team boss, having previously played and coached at Ilkeston.

Mark Fell told Beyond Radio last weekend that he was without seven players for Saturday’s 4-1 FA Cup win over Marske United – it remains to be seen how many of those could return to the squad this week.

Fell wants to see his side put out “the best possible performance” against The Robins.

After that game, it will once again be a quick turnaround for the Dolly Blues as they travel to Workington on Tuesday night.

It will be a game that both sets of fans will look forward to, with the fixture having provided entertaining and fiery contests in past years.

The two sides last met competitively in 2019, the year Workington were relegated from the NPL Premier Division, with Lancaster winning 2-0.

After four years in the NPL Division One West, the Reds went up via the playoffs last season, and they have had a mixed start to life back in the Premier Division, winning three and losing four of their first seven games.

Their campaign so far can be summed up in just two games – they beat Ashton United 5-0 on the opening day of the season but lost 6-1 to Ilkeston Town only a week later.

They are currently 15th in the league, and take on newly-relegated Bradford Park Avenue, who are just below them in the division, on Saturday.

Lancaster City v Ilkeston Town kicks off at 3pm on Saturday (September 23) at The Giant Axe.

Workington AFC v Lancaster City kicks off at 7.45pm on Tuesday (September 26) at Borough Park.