BROMSGROVE Sporting boss Brendan Kelly is preparing his side to face the “best striker” in the league when the Rouslers travel to Lowestoft Town this afternoon.
Sporting won 1-0 against Welwyn Garden City in the FA Cup the previous Saturday to book a highly-anticipated fourth qualifying round tie against National League side Grimsby Town.
That was followed by a comprehensive 4-0 win at Hednesford Town in the Southern League Challenge Cup on Tuesday night.
A brace from Jack Hallahan and efforts from Demetri Brown and Miro Pais secured an easy win for the Rouslers at the PRG Stadium.
However, Kelly’s side must now turn their attention back to league action and the Bromsgrove boss is wary of Lowestoft’s firepower in attack.
Kelly said: “They’ve got the best striker in the division in Jake Reed, we beat them 6-0 the last time we played at home but our squads are very different now.
“We’re expecting another tough game, there’s no poor teams in this league, you have to play really well, it’s a long trip but we’re looking forward to it.”
The Bromsgrove boss also provided an update on Kieran Dunbar – after the midfielder suffered a fractured tibia in Sporting’s FA Cup win last weekend.
He said: “It’s very upsetting, it’s a horrific sight that you don’t want to see again, the operation has gone well he’s had a metal rod inserted into his tibia.
“The whole atmosphere of the game dropped, the crowd were a bit shocked by what they saw, you feel helpless, Kieran went into a state of shock.
“We spoke to the officials who were excellent on the day, both managers had a conversation and we said we’re not going to continue unless the players are right to play on in their mindset and mental state.”
Dunbar’s replacement Jack Newell would go on to score the winning goal – smashing a 30-yard half-volley into the top corner to secure the victory.
He added: “The injury knocked the stuffing out of a few of our lads because we have a lot of young players in the squad who would never have witnessed anything like that before.
“I wasn’t sure how to react at half-time, they were performing better than us and we performed better in the second-half and got the win.
“There was a clear message from us that we’ve got to go and win this for Kieran now because he’s put his body on the line for the team – we have to make sure we win and we did so I’m delighted.”
Sporting’s game with Lowestoft kicks-off at 3pm today at Crown Meadow.
