Doughboys hoping it will be fourth time lucky as they head to county rivals Corby Town

The Doughboys make the trip to Steel Park aiming to maintain their interest in the Pitching-In Northern Premier League play-off race, while the Steelmen want to boost their push for a second place finish.

It is the fourth meeting between the sides this season.

The pair drew 0-0 in the league in August before meeting two weeks later in the FA Trophy, with Corby winning that one 3-2 thanks to a stoppage time strike from Alfie Wren. The next meeting was in the NFA Hillier Senior Cup in October, with Corby cruising to a 4-0 success.

Doughboys boss Jake Stone is looking forward to once again locking horns with Corby counterpart Gary Setchell, but is hoping he will be the one smiling at full-time on this occasion.

"Corby are where they are for a reason and Setch is a good manager," said Stone. "He has been there, done it, I get on with him really well and he has been a good sounding board for me in moments.

"He knows what he is doing and he wants to get that team promoted.

"They have got some quality players and have added a few over the past month or so, so they are going to be stronger than the last time we played them.

"But I would like to think we have learned more since we played them in the league as well and it’sgoing to be a good game. Let's hope there's a big crowd, which would be fantastic, and although I get on with Setch I certainly want to win on the day."

Both sides go into the game off the back of unexpected home defeats, with Corby losing 2-1 to Darlaston and the Doughboys going down 3-0 to Hinckley LRFC, a result that leaves them in eighth, six points off the play-offs.

Stone was frustrated by the Hinckley defeat, and said: “I gave the players quite a heavy grilling at half-time and also after the game, but looking back at it and watching it, we weren't that bad in the first half hour.

"We probably had more chances, but then in a 15-minute spell it all just went to pot. It was two set-pieces, one of them a good free-kick, and the other was a long-range strike.

"So it is small margins, but it is how you react, and I just felt we didn't in the second half, although it is hard to come back from 3-0 down. It was a poor day at the office.

"Over the past 18 months we have had a lot of credit, and for a team that has just come up we are in a not bad league position when you consider the budget we have, but even with all that I still want to win every game."

Stone has suffered a setback with striker Neo Richard-Noel ruled out for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury, while Tyler Winters’ loan from Peterborough Sports has come to an end, but may be extended.