Match Preview

Ashby Ivanhoe, the Fenmen’s opponents at Fountain Fresh Park on Saturday, are playing at Step 5 for the first time in their history this season.
They achieved promotion by beating Droitwich Spa 2-1 in the play-off final with a last-minute goal in front of 1,023 spectators. Ashby reached the play-offs by finishing runners-up in the league to Dudley Town.
The club have made a good start to the new season, taking four points from their first two league matches with a win against Eastwood and a draw with Pinchbeck. The promising start continued last Saturday with an excellent 3-0 home win against Deeping Rangers in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round.
Two of the goals against Deeping were scored by prolific marksman Sam Grouse, who now has three goals to his name this season. Midfielder Joel Carta, who scored the winning goal in the play-off final, has played at a higher level for Kettering Town, Corby Town and Harborough Town. A new signing this season is striker James Harrison, formerly of Gresley Rovers.
Ashby, managed by Andy Gray, are very ambitious and have plans to move further up the pyramid system.

Club history
Ashby Ivanhoe were founded in 1948 and play their home games at the NFU Sports Ground, Lower Packington Road, Ashby de la Zouch in Leicestershire, where they moved to in 2012 and purchased in 2021.
They had one of their most successful seasons in 2010/11 when they completed a league and cup double by winning their Leicestershire Senior League by nine points and also lifted the Coalville Charity Cup for the first time.
The 2013/14 season saw the first team achieve a long-term ambition when they won promotion to Step 6 of the pyramid, playing in the East Midlands Counties League the following season.
The 2016/17 season was the most memorable in the club’s history. For the first time they entered the FA Cup and knocked out higher ranked opposition Quorn and Loughborough Dynamo before falling to Ilkeston.
In 2019/20 Ashby faced a fresh challenge when they were moved to the Midland Premier League Division One. In 2021/22 they secured their highest ever league position, finishing fourth and securing a place in the play-offs where they faced local rivals Stapenhill in the semi-finals, losing 4-2.
But last season, the club’s 75th anniversary, was one for the record books when they achieved promotion to Step 5.

Preview courtesy of Adrian Lynn