Trip to Scarborough Athletic a family affair for Pickering Town (From York Press)

Trip to Scarborough Athletic a family affair for Pickering Town

11:25am Friday 8th March 2013 in Sport

PICKERING Town’s trip to Scarborough Athletic isn’t just a big match for manager Jimmy Reid – it’s a family affair as well, writes Steve Carroll.

After the Pikes produced a penalty shoot-out victory over Guisborough Town on Tuesday to reach the North Riding Senior Cup final, they now head east to face Northern Counties East League premier division high-fliers Scarborough Athletic in a derby day showdown.

Their opponents have lost just twice all season but one of those was to Reid’s men, who recovered from an early 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 in October.

But now the leaders have Reid’s son Arran, formerly the Recreation Ground club’s main shot-stopper between their sticks, and he will go up not just against his dad but also his brother Thomas, who plays for the Pikes.

Boss Reid, however, is hoping the feelgood factor at the club following the cup success, can propel them to a fifth consecutive league win.

“I will lock him in his bedroom,” he joked of Arran. “It’s a real family affair and it’s going to be interesting. We are going there with nothing to lose.

“They need to win more than we do and they are under pressure to beat us. There is no pressure on us and we just have to get the ball down and play it.

“If we turn up and play we can beat anyone on the day.”

Of Tuesday night’s heroics, where Steve Baxter’s second half equaliser levelled the game against Guisborough at 1-1 and only Liam Shepherd missed a penalty as the Pikes prevailed 4-2 after spot-kicks, Reid added: “It was a good game and we deserved to win.

“It’s great for the club. They’ve only been in the final twice before and we have got a chance to win it against Marske United.”

The unavailable Chris Gowen is Reid’s only absentee for the Scarborough game.