Deal Town have a storied history in the FA Vase and manager Derek Hares admits it is about time the Kent club repeat their heroics of 15 years ago.
Deal went to Wembley back in 2000 for the FA Vase final and emerged victorious as Roly Graham’s goal handed them a 1-0 win against Chippenham Town in front of 20,083 supporters.
It remains, by some distance, Deal’s greatest day and the crowning glory of club legend Tommy Sampson’s managerial reign.
Deal Town v Dorking
FA Vase First Round Qualifying
The Charles Sports Ground
3pm Saturday 5 September 2015
Winners receive £600 from The FA prize fund
Fast forward to the present day and Hares is eager to channel the memory of that triumphant May afternoon as they prepare to take on Dorking in the first round qualifying on Saturday.
“I don’t think we could ever forget that – it was a fantastic achievement,” he said. “When it started off, nobody took too much notice but as time went by and we got to the quarter-finals and semi-finals it gets exciting. There were more than 20,000 at Wembley and a lot of them were from Deal.
“A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then and we have had a few ups and downs but the club is in a good position at the moment.
“We had a great end to the season last year and won 12 of our last 14 games, then started pretty well this season. With the FA Vase, if you get the right draw and a little bit of luck you can go very far.”
The opening draw has thrown up Dorking and if you ask their manager, Glynn Stephens, Deal are firm favourites to progress.
“Deal is going to be a great experience for us. If we get it right and they get it wrong, then we could get a result”
Glynn Stephens Dorking manager
That, however, will not stop the Chicks from going in search of an upset and with the club having navigated choppy waters in recent years, Stephens’ outlook is positive.
In 2013 their Meadowbank home was closed down by the council on health and safety grounds, leaving Dorking living something of a nomadic existence.
A consortium of local businessmen rode to the rescue with a takeover in May 2014 and – now ground-sharing with Horley Town and planning a £4million reinvestment in their own home – Stephens can see blue skies ahead.
“The dressing room ceiling was falling down, we had live electrics and the ground was shut down by the council,” he said. “I managed this club back in 1995 for a season and came back in 2012 and the difference was unbelievable in terms of decline.
“But we are out the other side of that and we have got new owners as of last year. They have basically saved the club.
“Deal on Saturday is going to be a great experience for us. If we get it right and they get it wrong, then we could get a result.
“If I’m being realistic, we are not ready to win the FA Vase and anyone who is looking at this tie would make Deal favourites, so we can go there with no fear and give it a go. We will see what happens.”
