Fresh from their Emirates FA Cup disappointment, Chesham United have the chance to revive their Wembley dreams this weekend.
The dream of a place in The FA Cup third round came to an end last Sunday when Chesham went down to League One play-off chasers Bradford City by 4-0 at Valley Parade but they are back in cup action with an FA Trophy clash at Torquay on Sunday.
Torquay United v Chesham United
The FA Trophy
First Round Proper
3pm, Sunday 13 December 2015
Plainmoor, Torquay United FC
Winners receive £5000 from prize fund
By Paul Eddison
It has been a busy week, with a trip to Bedworth to squeeze in midweek in the Southern League Premier Division, but manager Andy Leese wasn’t complaining about the hectic schedule.
"The game against Bradford was fantastic for the club and it showed how seriously Bradford were taking it, that they put out their strongest possible squad," said Leese.
"Although the final score was quite one-sided, it was much closer than that, and they scored two goals in injury time when we ran out of gas a little.
"Going back to the day job the following day wasn’t easy, it’s a bit of a shock to the system, especially with the Bedworth game to play during the week.
"It’s a busy schedule for us and we’re travelling all over the place with the trip down to Torquay, but we’re really excited about The FA Trophy.
"In The FA Cup we tried to show that we can play and do our bit to show what non-League is like.
Chesham United's Emirates FA Cup run was ended by Bradford City on Sunday
"Now The FA Trophy is a huge opportunity but we know that Torquay will be keen to prove themselves after a difficult season.
"There’s a lot of travelling but hopefully the guys will all be fit and ready to go."
It has certainly been a tough start to the season for Torquay, who currently sit in the relegation zone in the National League, and have won just one game at home so far this season.
That came back in August on the opening day of the league season, but manager Kevin Nicholson, who took over in September, believes they are about to turn the corner.
"The lads are still very disappointed from Saturday’s loss to Wrexham where we thought we didn’t get what we deserved," said Nicholson.
"But cup runs can galvanise a team and hopefully that can help us get our season on track.
"I do feel like we’re heading in the right direction but we just need a bit of confidence and that will come with goals and wins.
"It will be difficult against Chesham, they come here after a good run in The FA Cup and they are doing well in the league.
"There’s a danger of a giant-killing given how well they are doing, but we’re just going to try to get a good result in front of our fans.
"It’s a long season so if we can get on a run we can turn things around."
