by Jeff King
After last Saturday's crucial home win over F.C. Hartlepool that took United back into the play-off positions they'll be looking to consolidate that with three points at Bedlington Terriers on Saturday.
The game will kick-off at 14:00pm owing to an issued with the floodlights at Dr Pit Park and United will be hoping the early kick-off will not catch them out as they travel north of the Tyne into Northumberland.
This is one of those games that is undoubtedly a 'banana skin' for a United side that bounced back well last weekend following the previous week's loss to Thornaby.
They take on a Bedlington side that have been sliding rapidly down the table with their recent form only showing one win in their last eleven fixtures, a 4 - 1 win at struggling Chester-le-Street Town.
One win in ten league games and also a 6 - 0 thumping against Yarm & Eaglescliffe in the Ernest Armstrong Cup is not the kind of form the Terriers would want to take into a game against one of the Division's in-form sides.
Having said that Bedlington do have the advantage of knowing a win would give them a league double over United following their 1 - 0 victory on the last day of August in 2024.
This though is a much changed Bedlington side on and off the pitch with the hoped for improvement under Manager Steve Pickering who replaced Andy Ferguson in September not yet materialising.
Bedlington currently sit in the bottom four of the Division with 29 points from 31 games that includes a 3-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player. They have 9 wins 5 draws and 17 defeats in their 31 games.
They have scored 36 goals in that time and conceded 66. Their massive turnaround of players has seen 22 different goal scorers in that time with Christ Zoma on 3 goals the player with the most that's still at The Club.
So, one of those games on paper that United will be favourites for. But all games in this League are tough and none more so when you're on the road against a team with a difficult pitch to play on and a point to prove.
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