For both Altrincham and FC Halifax Town, focus is switched away from the Vanarama National League this Saturday, with a desired place in the Isuzu FA Trophy Final at Wembley Stadium up for grabs.
All eyes are on the J.Davidson Stadium at weekend, as it prepares to host its first FA Trophy semi-final since 1991, a time which Alty fans won't want to revisit - defeat to Wycombe saw them crash out at the penultimate stage.
The Robins had however experienced success in the competition twice before, whereas opponents Halifax have been victorious on just one occasion, in 2016, and haven't been involved in the final four since then.
Both teams ply their trade in the National League, and have endured similar campaigns with the final month dawning upon them - Altrincham rank six points higher than the Shaymen yet neither really have much at stake in the division, so it would be wrong not to have full concentration on the April Fools' Day clash.
Each were also in action in midweek, the hosts inescapably losing at the hands of league leaders Notts County while Town were dominant in a 2-0 home win over Aldershot, whom they coincidentally defeated in order to reach this stage of the competition.
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Team News
Alty's approach for the week is evidently to have full focus on the Trophy, as they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to the Magpies having rested multiple key men - the likes of Miles Welch-Hayes, James Jones and Jordan Hulme are all likely to return to the side at the weekend.
Regan Linney will be cup-tied, while Maxi Oyedele is back from international duty, and could head straight into the eleven.
In terms of the Shaymen, manager Chris Millington is hoping to bring back two injured players ahead of Saturday's semi-final, those being Jesse Debrah and Fidel O'Rourke.
Debrah was absent from Tuesday night's Aldershot victory following a hamstring injury days earlier, while the latter hasn't appeared since early March with the same issue.
Kian Spence has too been denied a place in the matchday squad for the entirety of the calendar year, though could be closing in on a return shortly.
This game is expected to fall too soon for winger Max Wright, but he could be back in contention for the home fixture against Wrexham.
Loanee Adam Senior is cup-tied and won't be available.
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Likely Lineups
Byrne, Welch-Hayes, Perritt, J.Jones, Baines, E.Jones, Oyedele, Lundstram, Sinclair, Hugill, Hulme
Johnson, J.Senior, Stott, Debrah, Golden, Summerfield, Gilmour, Capello, Warburton, Harker, Cooke
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Key Players
Josh Lundstram (Altrincham)
One of the key players among the Alty lot is midfielder Josh Lundstram. He has been ever-present this season, scoring three goals, and adding an assist to that as well.
The 24-year-old's efforts were also recently rewarded with a call-up to the England C squad - Lundstram played all ninety minutes during the 1-0 win over Cymru C.
Rob Harker (Halifax Town)
It's fair that this season has been a real breakthrough for Halifax forward Rob Harker, finally managing to open his senior goalscoring record with six goals in all competitions - that might not seem a great deal, but with the Shaymen ranking as one of the lowest scorers in the National League, it is definitely an achievement for the 23-year-old.
He will be hoping to add to his tally and book Town a place at Wembley this Saturday, after already netting a brace earlier in the competition, against lower league Harrow Borough.
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Match Details
Where is the game being played?
This Isuzu FA Trophy Semi-Final clash will be hosted by Altrincham's J.Davidson Stadium, more commonly known as Moss Lane.
Alty have played at the near-8,000 capacity venue since 1910.
What time is kickoff?
As with both FA Trophy fixtures taking place on Saturday, kickoff is set for 3pm BST.
How can I watch?
Tickets are still available to purchase ahead of kickoff, and with the game being all-ticket, you must buy online and in advance.
If you are unable to make it, there will be live commentary from FCHTOnline on Mixlr and AltyRadio while both clubs will be providing in-game updates via their social media.
Unfortunately, there is no way to stream the match, so the only way to watch is by heading down to the J.Davidson Stadium.
