As his club prepare to travel the length of the country in The FA Cup, the chairman of AFC Fylde has put his hands in his pockets to help out their fans.
Fylde travel from Lancashire to Devon to take on Plymouth in the First Round Proper on Saturday, and club chairman David Haythornwaite has offered to cover the travel costs on the 650-mile round trip.
Plymouth Argyle v AFC Fylde
FA Cup First Round Proper
3pm, Saturday 9 November
Home Park
Winners receive £18,000 from The FA Prize Fund
Haythornthwaite will provide free coach travel for all their supporters and it is a gesture he is delighted to have been able to make.
“We’ve spoken to Plymouth and done a rough estimate and they’ve been very helpful,” he said.
“We think we’re probably going to get about £15,000 out of the game once everything is paid out and done.
“So we thought we should give something back to the fans by offering to pay for the coaches down there.”
He continued: “We’re probably going to take two coaches so it’s going to cost us £2,000, but the way we look at it is that it’s a windfall for us.
“We didn’t budget to make this money so it’s great to be able to give them the opportunity to have a great day out and give something back to the fans.”
Fylde qualified for the First Round Proper after beating King's Lynn 4-3
Fylde have enjoyed a successful start to their league campaign. They sit second in Conference North, just one point off pace-setters Barrow.
And despite acknowledging the fact that his club are clear underdogs in the contest against League Two Plymouth, the chairman says they will travel to Home Park full of confidence.
“If you know anything about our manager that’s one thing for certain – we’re not going there to make up the numbers,” he said.
“There’s no doubt about it, we’ve got a squad that’s capable of pulling off a shock.
“It’s a big pitch down there, we like that. We play very wide, we’re a 4-3-3 side and we like to play an attacking game. It suits our style of play.”
And what of the scenario of a plum Third Round draw potentially just two wins away? The chairman is daring to dream.
Ian French runs the supporter's club and says it is a wonderful gesture from the chairman
“Everybody thinks about the dream tie which Crawley achieved a couple of years ago with an away trip to Manchester United – and that sort of thing is a guaranteed million pounds.
“So the Third Round is where you want to be, among the real big boys, and hope you get a tie like that.
“But let’s concentrate on this round first – we know it’s going to be very difficult but first and foremost we want to enjoy the day and give the fans something to remember.”
Ian French, a long-standing Fylde fanatic who organises all travel to away games, added his own words of gratitude.
“It’s an absolutely wonderful gesture from the chairman,” he said.
“He’s putting two coaches on and that’s fantastic news.
“The cost of travel is always going up and it gives everyone that wants to go to the game the opportunity to come along and have a great day out.
“We’re taking bookings right up until Friday evening. So if anyone is interested in joining us on The Cup trip to Plymouth, just visit the website and book yourself on.
“It promises to be a wonderful day out.”
Click here for more information and to book your place on the coach.
