Gosport Borough's ‘Special one’ Alex Pike has predicted that Saturday's mouth-watering FA Trophy Semi-Final against local rivals Havant & Waterlooville will go down in non-League folklore.
Just 15 miles separate the two Conference South sides and, as fate would have it, the pair will now square off for a place in The FA Trophy Final at Wembley.
The two-legged tie, which kicks off at Havant's West Leigh Park on Saturday, has been billed as the Battle of Hampshire and, has really got the juices flowing for Pike.
Havant & Waterlooville v Gosport Borough
The FA Carslberg Trophy
Semi-Final first-leg
3pm Saturday 15 February 2014
West Leigh Park
He told TheFA.com: "For our clubs and the area it's a terrific achievement. We've called it the Battle of Hampshire. It's nice to have two local clubs playing for a place at a Wembley.
"Everyone is buzzing around the area. You can't go anywhere in our town without people talking about the Semi-Final.
"It's not often that two local rivals meet in such a high-stakes match. How often does that happen? We'll make the most of the opportunity.
"I personally believe that this will go down in non-League folklore. Everyone will remember the Semi-Final between Gosport and Havant & Waterlooville."
Gosport are struggling in the league, sitting second-bottom of the Conference South, eight points below Saturday’s opponent, who beat them 3-0 on Boxing Day in their latest meeting.
And Pike admitted: "We've held them in high esteem for years. They've been our benchmark, they've gone up through the Wessex Leagues like we have and they are our pathfinder. To a certain degree we've always been in their shadow.
“I never really played football, but I can manage. I know what it takes.”
Alex Pike Gosport Borough manager
"But this is a good way for us to gauge just how far we've come. In cup competitions we've matched Havant this year. And now what a test against our local rivals."
The outspoken manager, who holds the record as the youngest manager to win The FA Carlsberg Vase with Wimborne Town in 1992 when he was just 31, has been labelled as the 'Jose Mourinho' of non-League - a comparison he's unsurprisingly happy to accept.
He added: "I admire him a lot so it's flattering. Like him, I always take the heat off my players whenever I can to get the maximum performance out of them.
"And the other likeness is that Jose Mourinho has got to the top of his profession without ever playing at any level, that's the same as me.
"I never really played football, but I can manage. I know what it takes. I don't want to be a coach, I'm a football manager."
