For the first time in their 46-year existence Risborough Rangers are set to compete in The Emirates FA Cup on Saturday and their soon-to-be-retired manager says the occasion will be the perfect beginning of the end of his career.
Bob Rayner is currently embarking on his 16th and final season at Risborough before he hands over the reins to son Jamie – his former assistant and now joint-manager.
Ampthill Town v Risborough Rangers
The Emirates FA Cup
Extra preliminary round
Ampthill Park
3pm Saturday 15 August
Winners receive £1,500
Rayner senior admits his son is the mellower of the two and therefore his “hairdryer treatment” is likely to be retired with him.
Yet the duo have been working in tandem to mastermind a plan to beat fellow South Midlands Football League Division One side Ampthill Town in this weekend’s extra preliminary round, where the victors will pick up £1,500 prize money.
Such is the magnitude of the occasion the club has sold-out a 72-seater coach to travel to Ampthill Park. To put that into some context the average home gate last term was 86 and their regular away following comes in at approximately 15 hearty souls.
It is fair to say the magic of the FA Cup has swept through the sparsely populated Buckinghamshire town, perhaps known best for being home to former Jamiroquai front man Jay Kay.
But Rayner hopes he can really put Risborough on the map this weekend and fulfil his own years of ambition at the first and last attempt.
“It would be great to make some progress in the FA Cup in my last season. Just to get through the first stage would be fantastic, then the money would be a great help for us,” said Rayner, whose two-spell tenure at Windsors book-end managerial jobs with Brackley Town and Abingdon Town.
“We had 130 people watch us against Winslow United on Tuesday and it’s the FA Cup that has piqued their interest”
Bob Rayner Risborough Rangers manager
“It’s not just an exciting occasion for the players, it’s really everyone associated. We had 130 people watch us against Winslow United on Tuesday night and it’s the FA Cup tie that has piqued their interest.
“It’s such a great tournament and lovely to be part of it. Where else can you play in the same competition as Arsenal or Chelsea, clubs of that ilk who pay their players super wages and our players pay to play? It’s fantastic.
“If we win, which is a big ‘if’ because we know how tough it will be away from home, then we have a home tie with our local rivals Aylesbury, who are a couple of steps higher than us.
“That would be a great game for us and I’m sure would attract a decent crowd.
“Ampthill were relegated last season, but we certainly won’t take anything for granted. We will give them a lot of due respect.
“We like to get the ball down and play on the ground if we can, there is not too much long ball. We look to play out from the back and get numbers forwards when we attack.”
Rayner’s love for the competition took him to the final in 2003, where he watched his beloved Southampton lose to Arsenal at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
He has become used to being a runner-up, with Risborough having claimed the dubious honour of losing three cup finals in the last three seasons, “always the bridesmaid, never the bride,” he says through gritted teeth.
But an FA Cup tie is a completely different kettle of fish and Rayner says the rewards for winning can help to make a real difference to the club, long after he has gone.
“If we were to win the money would go towards improving the club’s infrastructure”
Bob Rayner Risborough Rangers boss
“Any money we have is ploughed back into the club, we don’t pay our players,” added the 60-year-old.
“If we were to win the money would go towards improving the club’s infrastructure. We would like to have new dressing rooms and spend some money on the pitch.
“Our dressing rooms are a bit dilapidated, the showers don’t work very well.
“In recent times we have had FA grants, the FA are brilliant supporters of clubs at grassroots level. We had grants towards upgrading the floodlights and the car park, for example, and it’s those kind of things that we can put any FA Cup prize money towards.
“When I got a call 14 years ago from the Risborough chairman Richard Woodward asking me if I would consider coming back I initially said no, as I was a bit concerned about the ambition of the club.
“But he gave me assurances and promised me they would upgrade the floodlights as a starting point – 12 years later, as a result of the FA grant, he delivered on that promise!”
