Marginson confident ahead of play-offs

FC United of Manchester manager Karl Marginson has urged his team to take advantage of the opportunity of a crack at the play-offs and is in confident mood ahead of his side’s trip to Chorley on Saturday.

The last couple of weeks of the regular season have seen some uncertainty at FC United as the team strove for a play-off position. Suspensions had an effect on the side, with key players missing, and the club wobbled over Easter but Marginson was delighted to see his men finish the season on a high with a convincing last weekend over demoted Northwich Victoria.

“While the circumstances of our qualification for the promotion play-offs are not the way we would have chosen to make the last four, we have been presented with an opportunity that we need to grasp. The players are really excited at the prospect and looked really sharp in training this week,” said Marginson. FC’s boss was also keen to point out that his side have already beaten Saturday’s opponents Chorley this season in knock-out competition so they will enter the play-off tie at Victory Park in confident mood.

“I’ve said all along that we have the squad to play at a higher level and now we have the opportunity to prove it. We now find ourselves just two games of football away from playing in the Conference North next season. What an achievement that would be to cap what’s already been an excellent season for us, both on and off the pitch,” Marginson said.

FC United should field a full strength side ahead of Saturday’s clash, with defender Adam Jones available for selection after missing the Northwich game through injury. Having missed out on promotion last season, falling at the final play-off hurdle against Colwyn Bay, FC United will be keen to go one better this time around by getting past their Lancashire neighbours to set up a final against either Bradford Park Avenue or Hednesford Town.

The club expects to have sold out their 1,100 ticket allocation by this morning (Friday).