A Town XI will face former Blue Cole Skuse’s Bury Town in a pre-season friendly at the newly renamed OCS Ram Meadow Stadium on Saturday 8th July (KO 2pm).

The teams will play for the Martin Swallow Challenge Trophy for the third time. The trophy was named after Swallow, who died after a long battle with a brain tumour in October last year, for his outstanding contribution to the two clubs, having been chairman of the Town Supporters Club and PA man, a steward and working in hospitality at Bury, where he also drove the team bus.

So far, each club has won the trophy once on penalties with Town’s U21s coming out on top 5-3 from the spot following a 1-1 draw last summer.

The match will be former Town midfielder Skuse’s first as a manager, the 37-year-old having taken charge of the West Suffolk club earlier in the summer after hanging up his boots having left Colchester United.

Town are again likely to field an U21s squad with the first team travelling to their training camp in Austria that weekend.

A list of Town's pre-season matches which have been announced can be found here.

Photo: Matchday Images

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