It’s set up for a cracking local derby as Eastwood welcome Hucknall Town to Coronation Park. The visitors arrive in good form, boasting back-to-back wins here in the last two seasons, while Eastwood will be determined to turn the tide and pick up a crucial three points on home soil.

With familiar faces in the Hucknall squad, including former Red Badgers skipper Aaron Short, plus in-form striker Bradley Wells, it promises to be a fiercely contested encounter.

Eastwood currently sit in 16th place in the Premier Division North with 9 points from 8 games. Hucknall are faring slightly better, positioned 9th with 14 points from 10 matches. The Red Badgers have played fewer matches, so a win could see them closing the gap on mid-table rivals.

Eastwood’s recent league form has been mixed — they’ve gained some points but also dropped others, leaving them with a modest total from their fixtures so far. Hucknall’s form has also been inconsistent. Notably, they suffered a 0-5 home defeat to Sherwood Colliery earlier in the season. On a positive note, Hucknall have also secured results away from home, making them a dangerous proposition on their travels.

Previous meetings: Hucknall will arrive at Coronation Park looking to extend their strong recent record on our patch, having won here in each of the last two seasons, scoring eight goals in the process. You have to go back to December 2017 for Eastwood’s last home victory over Town.

That said, Hucknall’s success at Coronation Park has been the exception rather than the rule—those two wins are their only victories in the last eight meetings between the sides. And when you look at the overall head-to-head, it couldn’t be tighter: 19 matches, 7 wins apiece, and 5 draws. Top goal scorers in this fixture are Joseph Ashurst (7), Adam Nelson (6), Matt Brian & Niall Towle (5) & Patrick Webb & Joe Butler (4).

Player Watch: There will be no shortage of familiar faces and danger men to keep an eye on when Hucknall Town visit.

Aaron Short – Hucknall’s captain needs little introduction to Red Badgers fans. Short made 65 appearances for Eastwood, captaining the side in 62 of those, and was a key figure in leading us to promotion back in 2018. He has since gone on to surpass 100 games in yellow and black, becoming a cornerstone of Hucknall’s defence.

Luis Parkes – Another former Eastwood man, Parkes had a spell at Coronation Park before joining Kimberley and later moving to Hucknall last summer, where he has quickly established himself as a regular in midfield.

Bradley Wells – At the top end of the pitch, Wells is a proven goalscorer and currently in red-hot form. Fresh from a midweek hat-trick against Newark & Sherwood United, the veteran forward leads Hucknall’s scoring charts with 7 goals in 14 appearances this season.

Niall Towle – Last season’s standout marksman is a doubt through injury but remains one of the division’s most dangerous strikers. Towle hit 33 goals last campaign—second only to Boston Town’s Harry Limb—and scored a hat-trick in the Nottinghamshire Senior Cup Final, which Hucknall went on to win on penalties. Even limited to just 7 outings this season, he has already scored 4 times and boasts an excellent record against Eastwood with 5 goals in his last 3 meetings.

Squad Update: Will Robinson, Ryan Tait, Tyler Johal and Tyler Blake are all available to return to the squad. Aaron O’Connor and Abdul Saad are both unavailable. Sam Wilson will be aiming for back to back clean sheets for the first time since February. Daniel Elliott is seven appearances off his half century of caps.

Saturday 27th September 2025
United Counties Football League Premier North
Eastwood CFC vs Hucknall Town
3pm Kick Off
Coronation Park, Chewton Street, Eastwood, Notts, NG16 3HB
Adults £6, Concessions £4, U16 £3 or FREE with a paying adult

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