Irlam and Vics looking forward to Vase action
Thu 31st January 2019 | FA Challenge Vase | By Ian Templeman
Irlam and Northwich Victoria will once again be the league's representatives in the Buildbase FA Vase on Saturday, with both facing opponents from the southern half of the country in Fifth Round ties.
For Irlam, it's a home tie against Chertsey Town, and for Vics it's a trip to Cambridgeshire for a tie against Histon.
Once again, Irlam have been given a home draw, and Chertsey Town from the Cherry Red Records Combined Counties Football League will make the trip up from Surrey to the Ambitek Stadium.
Since an impressive 5-0 defeat of AFC St Austell in the previous round of the Vase in early January, Chertsey's form has been a bit mixed with a win, a draw and a defeat in their last three league games.
None the less, they still sit in second place in the table, two points and two games behind leaders Sutton Common Rovers, with whom they appear to be in a straight battle for the title given the gap between them and the chasing pack.
The man to watch in the opposition ranks is striker Jake Baxter, who has 22 goals to his name this season, but arguably the best known name in the travelling Chertsey Town party is manager Dave Anderson.
The Northern Irishman was manager of AFC Wimbledon from 2004 to 2007, but many non-league football followers all around the country will also be familiar with him due to his regular appearances on the BBC's Non-League Football Show for several years.
His side will undoubtedly pose a tough test, but Anderson's counterpart on Saturday, Irlam manager Michael Dodd, is confident that his side can meet the challenge posed by the men from the south, despite their erratic performances in recent weeks..
"We come into the game on a run of inconsistent form in all honesty", said Michael.
"Two brilliant wins, against 1874 Northwich and Winsford United, were slightly dampened by a disappointing performance against Litherland REMYCA in-between, who were very good on the night I must add.
"We are delighted to have reached this stage of the competition but we aren’t overawed by it.
"We believe we are here on merit, and also believe we are more than capable of going further in this competition.
"We have shown ourselves as a bit of a cup side this season and the players have risen to the occasion each time a big game has come along.
"Chertsey are flying high in their division, currently sitting in 2nd place, but the great thing is that we know all the clubs are playing at our level of football. That gives everyone the belief that they can beat anyone else.
"Chertsey are the top scorers in the Vase and 3rd favourites at this point, but we have scored 12 in our last 4 games and fancy ourselves to cause some problems of our own on Saturday.
"The 4-0 win against Cadbury Athletic in the last round gave the players the confidence that they can prepare for big games, apply themselves and come out on top".
That game against Cadbury Athletic saw the biggest attendance of the season so far at the Ambitek Stadium, and Michael is hoping the locals will turn out in force again.
He said: "The big home crowd definitely helped in that game, and I hope we can get a similar turnout this weekend.
"Irlam is a massive football town, and hopefully the ground can become the hub of our community again on Saturday afternoon.
"It is brilliant that we have two representatives from the League at this stage of the competition, and I have to thank all the clubs and people from around the league who have wished us well.
"Northwich Victoria have an equally difficult game away at Histon on Saturday, and yet again we wish Steve Wilkes and his team all the very best on the day.
"I hope we are both in the draw for the next round, as that can only strengthen the pedigree of our division if we both progress".
Meanwhile, the outskirts of Cambridge are the destination for Northwich Victoria, for their tie against Histon, who are riding high in the Eastern Counties League.
Like Vics themselves, Histon are a club that in recent years played in the National League, and in fact the two clubs faced one another in Conference league games between 2007 and 2009.
However, Histon's fortunes have declined in recent years, and they returned to the Eastern Counties League for the start of the 2017-18 season, 17 years after leaving it on the upward journey.
A sixth place finish last season gave them a good foundation to build on, and they currently sit in second place in their league, having won 15 of their 19 league games so far.
Fifth Round is the furthest they have ever been in the Vase, although most of the past 20 years, their place at higher levels in the pyramid has meant they have been competing mainly in the FA Trophy.
Curiously, for the second round in succession, Vics will facing up to one of their former players on Saturday.
In the last round, former striker Paul Brayson was in the Newcastle Benfield side that Vics defeated 3-2, and at the Glassworld Stadium, Histon manager Lance Key will be the familiar figure that many of the travelling support will recognise, having made 51 appearances in goal for Vics between 1998 and 2001.
His opponent in the visiting dug out, Vics manager Steve Wilkes says everyone at the club is gearing up for another big day out.
"We won't take Histon lightly, we know they are a very good side who have only lost two league games", said Steve.
"We are playing one of the favourites and one of the giants of non-league football, they were in the Conference only a few years ago.
"But like when we went up to Newcastle Benfield, no one expects us to win. I've seen the bookies have made them 4/5 favourites and we are 2/1, so we are outsiders again, which is great.
"There is no pressure on us, and hopefully we can go down there and reproduce the form we showed up at Newcastle. If we do that, we will give ourselves a good chance.
"I'm sure once the players realise what the bookies are saying, it gives them the motivation and that little spark.
"We will leave no stone unturned in our preparation and hopefully we will get it right.
"You know when you get to this stage of the competition there are not going to be any easy games. You just have to make sure you turn up on the day,
"It's going to be tough, we know that, but we come into the game in good form, having won our last three league games. We have prepared well, and we are looking forward to it.
"We trained on Tuesday, we will train on Thursday and at this moment in time we have 18 lads who are raring to go on Saturday".
Once again, Vics will be backed by a big travelling support, and Steve says that he and the players really appreciated the backing they gave the team in the last round.
"I can't emphasise enough how the support at Newcastle Benfield will live with me forever", said Steve.
"The fans were so passionate and the game meant so much to people. We saw grown men crying after their team had won.
"We have two coaches going down, there is a mini-bus going down, there are people going in cars as well, so we will have a very good support, and if they are as passionate as they were the last time, it will give the lads the boost it gave them then.
"That wasn't just when it went to 3-0, it was when Newcastle pulled it back to 3-2 and we were under the cosh for the last five minutes. and the fans never stopped singing.
"Some of my players had never experienced that before, and with us taking at least a couple of hundred down there. hopefully we can give them something to cheer about".
"If we can get through the next round on Saturday, and hopefully get a home tie in the next round, there's going to be a lot of people watching.
"Obviously we would also like to wish Michael and everyone at Irlam all the best. Let's hope we can both get through and avoid each other again in the next round".
Irlam and Vics looking forward to Vase action
Thu 31st January 2019 | FA Challenge Vase
By Ian Templeman
Irlam and Northwich Victoria will once again be the league's representatives in the Buildbase FA Vase on Saturday, with both facing opponents from the southern half of the country in Fifth Round ties.
For Irlam, it's a home tie against Chertsey Town, and for Vics it's a trip to Cambridgeshire for a tie against Histon.
Once again, Irlam have been given a home draw, and Chertsey Town from the Cherry Red Records Combined Counties Football League will make the trip up from Surrey to the Ambitek Stadium.
Since an impressive 5-0 defeat of AFC St Austell in the previous round of the Vase in early January, Chertsey's form has been a bit mixed with a win, a draw and a defeat in their last three league games.
None the less, they still sit in second place in the table, two points and two games behind leaders Sutton Common Rovers, with whom they appear to be in a straight battle for the title given the gap between them and the chasing pack.
The man to watch in the opposition ranks is striker Jake Baxter, who has 22 goals to his name this season, but arguably the best known name in the travelling Chertsey Town party is manager Dave Anderson.
The Northern Irishman was manager of AFC Wimbledon from 2004 to 2007, but many non-league football followers all around the country will also be familiar with him due to his regular appearances on the BBC's Non-League Football Show for several years.
His side will undoubtedly pose a tough test, but Anderson's counterpart on Saturday, Irlam manager Michael Dodd, is confident that his side can meet the challenge posed by the men from the south, despite their erratic performances in recent weeks..
"We come into the game on a run of inconsistent form in all honesty", said Michael.
"Two brilliant wins, against 1874 Northwich and Winsford United, were slightly dampened by a disappointing performance against Litherland REMYCA in-between, who were very good on the night I must add.
"We are delighted to have reached this stage of the competition but we aren’t overawed by it.
"We believe we are here on merit, and also believe we are more than capable of going further in this competition.
"We have shown ourselves as a bit of a cup side this season and the players have risen to the occasion each time a big game has come along.
"Chertsey are flying high in their division, currently sitting in 2nd place, but the great thing is that we know all the clubs are playing at our level of football. That gives everyone the belief that they can beat anyone else.
"Chertsey are the top scorers in the Vase and 3rd favourites at this point, but we have scored 12 in our last 4 games and fancy ourselves to cause some problems of our own on Saturday.
"The 4-0 win against Cadbury Athletic in the last round gave the players the confidence that they can prepare for big games, apply themselves and come out on top".
That game against Cadbury Athletic saw the biggest attendance of the season so far at the Ambitek Stadium, and Michael is hoping the locals will turn out in force again.
He said: "The big home crowd definitely helped in that game, and I hope we can get a similar turnout this weekend.
"Irlam is a massive football town, and hopefully the ground can become the hub of our community again on Saturday afternoon.
"It is brilliant that we have two representatives from the League at this stage of the competition, and I have to thank all the clubs and people from around the league who have wished us well.
"Northwich Victoria have an equally difficult game away at Histon on Saturday, and yet again we wish Steve Wilkes and his team all the very best on the day.
"I hope we are both in the draw for the next round, as that can only strengthen the pedigree of our division if we both progress".
Meanwhile, the outskirts of Cambridge are the destination for Northwich Victoria, for their tie against Histon, who are riding high in the Eastern Counties League.
Like Vics themselves, Histon are a club that in recent years played in the National League, and in fact the two clubs faced one another in Conference league games between 2007 and 2009.
However, Histon's fortunes have declined in recent years, and they returned to the Eastern Counties League for the start of the 2017-18 season, 17 years after leaving it on the upward journey.
A sixth place finish last season gave them a good foundation to build on, and they currently sit in second place in their league, having won 15 of their 19 league games so far.
Fifth Round is the furthest they have ever been in the Vase, although most of the past 20 years, their place at higher levels in the pyramid has meant they have been competing mainly in the FA Trophy.
Curiously, for the second round in succession, Vics will facing up to one of their former players on Saturday.
In the last round, former striker Paul Brayson was in the Newcastle Benfield side that Vics defeated 3-2, and at the Glassworld Stadium, Histon manager Lance Key will be the familiar figure that many of the travelling support will recognise, having made 51 appearances in goal for Vics between 1998 and 2001.
His opponent in the visiting dug out, Vics manager Steve Wilkes says everyone at the club is gearing up for another big day out.
"We won't take Histon lightly, we know they are a very good side who have only lost two league games", said Steve.
"We are playing one of the favourites and one of the giants of non-league football, they were in the Conference only a few years ago.
"But like when we went up to Newcastle Benfield, no one expects us to win. I've seen the bookies have made them 4/5 favourites and we are 2/1, so we are outsiders again, which is great.
"There is no pressure on us, and hopefully we can go down there and reproduce the form we showed up at Newcastle. If we do that, we will give ourselves a good chance.
"I'm sure once the players realise what the bookies are saying, it gives them the motivation and that little spark.
"We will leave no stone unturned in our preparation and hopefully we will get it right.
"You know when you get to this stage of the competition there are not going to be any easy games. You just have to make sure you turn up on the day,
"It's going to be tough, we know that, but we come into the game in good form, having won our last three league games. We have prepared well, and we are looking forward to it.
"We trained on Tuesday, we will train on Thursday and at this moment in time we have 18 lads who are raring to go on Saturday".
Once again, Vics will be backed by a big travelling support, and Steve says that he and the players really appreciated the backing they gave the team in the last round.
"I can't emphasise enough how the support at Newcastle Benfield will live with me forever", said Steve.
"The fans were so passionate and the game meant so much to people. We saw grown men crying after their team had won.
"We have two coaches going down, there is a mini-bus going down, there are people going in cars as well, so we will have a very good support, and if they are as passionate as they were the last time, it will give the lads the boost it gave them then.
"That wasn't just when it went to 3-0, it was when Newcastle pulled it back to 3-2 and we were under the cosh for the last five minutes. and the fans never stopped singing.
"Some of my players had never experienced that before, and with us taking at least a couple of hundred down there. hopefully we can give them something to cheer about".
"If we can get through the next round on Saturday, and hopefully get a home tie in the next round, there's going to be a lot of people watching.
"Obviously we would also like to wish Michael and everyone at Irlam all the best. Let's hope we can both get through and avoid each other again in the next round".
