Get To Know: Hyde United!
Saturday will see the Coasters begin their Emirates FA Cup journey for 2020/21.
Our opponents will be Northern Premier League side, Hyde United. Take a closer look and ‘Get To Know’ our hosts, before Jim Bentley’s side face them in the 3pm kick-off.
History
Hyde initiated as Hyde F.C., after being founded on the 27th July 1885 at the White Lion pub. After merging with Hyde St. George’s in 1906, the club played at Ewen Fields until it was folded in 1917. After demands for the re-establishment of a football club Hyde United was formed in 1919. The Tigers joined the Manchester League after only one season in the Lancashire and Cheshire Federation, and by 1930 Hyde had already won the league five times. Hyde then moved to the Cheshire County League.
The decade after the Second World War saw numerous achievements for The Tigers, starting with the Cheshire Senior Cup in 1946. Hyde also accomplished a league and cup double in 1954, followed by retaining the championship in 1955. Hyde United reached the first round of the FA Cup in 1954 for the first time, losing 5-1 to Bill Shankly’s Workington side. The Tigers were founding members of the Northern Premier League in 1968, but returned to the Cheshire League in 1970 due to financial constraints where they then remained for 12 years until 1982 where Hyde United swept the Cheshire League Board under Les Sutton as manager.
Their first year back in the Northern Premier League saw Hyde score 91 goals, and they reached the FA Cup first round again in the season after where they faced now Premier League side Burnley, losing 2-0 away from home. Hyde’s first ever Northern Premier League win was in 2005, in controversial fashion, as they were awarded a title following an appeal to the FA. The title was originally awarded to Farsley Celtic after Spennymoor United’s results were expunged; Hyde was then awarded three points for a 0-0 win as they had played Spennymoor twice, enough for the League win.
Hyde are currently playing in the Northern Premier League, after a spell in the Football Conference between 2005 and 2015.
The Manager – David McGurk
David McGurk has been a part of The Tigers since June 2016, when he initially joined as a player and assistant manager to Darren Kelly. As a player McGurk made 15 appearances and scored 4 goals for Hyde during the 2016/17 season. He took over as manager in 2019 after being appointed on the 28th May 2019 after Darren Kelly took the role of sporting director at Ewen Fields.
Under McGurk, The Tigers were sitting in 10th place before the 2019/20 season was cut short due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Hyde had achieved 7 wins, 4 draws and 6 losses in 17 league games. McGurk had also led Hyde to the semi finals of the League Cup as well as the Cheshire Senior Cup, unfortunately both failed to be completed.
The Captain – Tom Pratt
Tom Pratt has been a Tiger since the start of the 2017/18 season, where he signed from Trafford. Pratt has been a Hyde regular for four seasons now having accumulated 128 appearances for Hyde United, scoring 37 goals in the process and 20 assists. He’s also succeeded in achieving a total of 16 recorded player of the match award during his time at Ewan Fields.
The 25-year-old forward is a Bury academy product, having even made his senior debut for Bury before signing a professional contract with the club. He then spent time with Mossley on loan before joining for good in a search for more game time. Pratt then spent time with Ashton United and Trafford before finally joining Hyde.
Pratt has been a fan favourite ever since joining The Tigers, which can be directly attributed to the liveliness, passion, and commitment he puts in every time he turns out for Hyde. The forward is capable of playing anywhere down the front, and he’s finished as the club’s top scorer in the 2017/18 and 2019/20 seasons, and runner up for the 2018/19 season.
Scout Report
1 Joe Green
2 Bradley Roscoe
5 Andy Hollins
6 Tom Morris
11 Chinedu Uche
3 Kyle Brownhill
4 Ashley Young
10 Kingsley James
8 Liam Tongue
9 Tom Pratt ©
7 Paddy Lane
Hyde United currently sit 19th in the Northern Premier League table, whilst Saturday will see Fylde play their first competitive game of the season in what could very well be a difficult fixture for The Coasters in Ewen Fields’ artificial 4G ground.
The Tigers started the season with an away loss to Gainsborough Trinity, but achieved a draw against tough opponents in the next two Northern Premier League fixtures against FC United of Manchester and South Shields, who operates a hybrid between a part-time and full-time status as they attempt to achieve promotion to the National League North. However, when it comes to the FA Cup, Hyde started very positively with a 5-0 win away from Ewen Fields to West Allotment Celtic.
Sheffield United youth product Joe Green is expected to start in goal for Hyde. Green has an interesting background after having spent time playing College football in New York before returning to the UK, where he signed for Newport County as a backup in the League Two side.
The Tigers seem to demonstrate a formation favouring three in the middle of the defence, which could consist of ex-Coaster Bradley Roscoe, Andy Hollins and Tom Morris. Kyle Brownhill is expected to start on the left side, and seems to have a bit more freedom to go forward although Roscoe was also noticed to move forward at times leaving Brownhill to tuck in on the opposite side.
Former Oldham Athletic youth player Chinedu Uche is expected to start on the right side, bombing up and down the right flank. Uche is a strong dribbler who can move quickly and could be a threat to Fylde.
The middle of the park for The Tigers should consist of Ashley Young and Kingsley James, with Liam Tongue playing slightly ahead.
Paddy Lane should be playing on the left side, cutting into the middle almost as a left forward but still maintaining some defensive duties. Lane, 19, could also be another key player for The Tigers. He is a Hyde academy product who is progressing rapidly, and the advanced playmaker has already reportedly been followed by Sheffield United and Burnley due to his positive performances in the previous 2019/20 season. Captain Tom Pratt is expected to start as Hyde’s Striker.
One to Watch
Liam Tongue is one to look out for in this Saturday’s fixture. Despite being early in the season, in Tongue’s two games played in the 2020/21 for The Tigers he has earned himself the player of the match award on both occasions. He has also scored two goals in Hyde’s previous FA Cup fixture against West Allotment Celtic.
The 23-year-old midfielder is a solid fan favourite at Ewan Fields. He is local to the club, and has shown tremendous ability throughout his time in non-league, known for the maximum effort and desire he puts into every game. Despite being a midfielder, Tongue has also operated in defence, and has even featured in goal for Hyde after an injury to Hyde’s keeper Luke Mewitt in a 3-0 home loss to FC United this past November 2019 – where he still put in a solid performance.
Tongue started his career with Stockport Georgians, before rapidly rising in the leagues to Cheadle Town where he won the Players Player of the Year award in 2016. His next move was to Stalybridge Celtic, where he made 49 appearances before moving to Marine, his last club before signing for The Tigers. Tongue was also the Liverpool John Moores University Football team captain, as well as repeatedly being selected for the British Universities & Colleges Sports (BUCS) English Universities squad.
Since joining The Tigers, Tongue has played a total of 40 games, scoring 16 goals, and assisting 7. He has achieved a total of 16 player of the match awards, and considering his current form he could be a key player for Hyde and one to look out for on Saturday.
#BornToBeFylde | 
Jose Ferreira | @37JoseSFerreira
The post Get To Know: Hyde United! appeared first on AFC Fylde.