Thackley AFC v Knaresborough Town - Match Preview

NCEL Premier Divison - Wednesday 20th August 2025 - Kick-Off 7:45pm

Match Preview by Cayden Sands

Overview:
Thackley return to the Meridian Stadium at Dennyfield for their first midweek home match of the season on Wednesday as they welcome Knaresborough Town.

This comes off the back of the Dennyboys’ first defeat of the season in which they succumbed to Frickley Athletic by a 1-0 scoreline.

Despite this, supporters still have every reason to be optimistic about the team’s prospects going forward following their strong start to the league campaign, and with manager Jamie Price still strengthening the squad, the team looks well placed to continue their positive early campaign form.

The Opposition:
Travelling to BD10 on this occasion is a Knaresborough Town side that have had quite the hectic start to their campaign.

After starting normally enough with a 0-0 draw against Horbury Town, the club was left in an extraordinary situation in which their Emirates FA Cup tie against Bridlington Town was played three times, with the second game being made void due to an officiating error.

Add to this the “Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday” nature of the start of the season, and the last few weeks has certainly been a rollercoaster for Simon Parkes’ side.

Amidst all the drama with Bridlington, Knaresborough managed to pick up their first win of the season, defeating Albion Sports 2-1 to maintain their unbeaten league start, though they have only played two fixtures so far.

Key Players:
Knaresborough have a squad that boasts plenty of talent in all areas of the pitch.

One of these names is Jack Dyche, who has proven to be an important player in front of goal so far.

A player with a wealth of experience, Dyche has played much higher up the pyramid, having represented Guiseley AFC in the National League North in the 2018-19 season.

After scoring three goals during the pre season campaign, Dyche was able to get his first competitive goal of the during Knaresborough’s third encounter with Bridlington, setting a good marker for himself going forward.

Also of note is Slater Barkham-Barnes, who returns to the Meridian Stadium at Dennyfield after being a Thackley player last season.

The winger established himself as a crucial part of last season’s play off side, scoring a number of important goals whilst becoming a fan favourite in the process, with him sure to receive a friendly welcome back from the Dennyboys’ faithful.

Previous Meeting:
The most recent encounter between Thackley and Knaresborough came on 18th January 2025 at Manse Lane, which proved to be the first game of the new year for both sides after a weather enforced break.

After an uneventful first half, Knaresborough raced into a two goal lead thanks to Benjamin Parkes and Jack Lazenby, before some resilience from the Dennyboys saw Barkham-Barnes and Muhammet Tektas peg the hosts back to restore level pegging and seemingly save a point.

However, Knaresborough would win it late on, with Philip Milson scoring a stoppage time goal to get the team’s 2025 off to a perfect start at Thackley’s expense.

Admission Prices:
Adults: £7
Concessions: £5
Dogs allowed on a lead.