Padraig Amond could call himself one of the most clinical strikers in Europe at one point this season – and he is desperate to end a dream year at Grimsby Town with a visit to Wembley.
Amond was released by Morecambe over the summer, and it turned out their loss was very much the Mariners’ gain.
Bognor Regis Town v Grimsby Town
The FA Trophy
Semi-final first leg
Nyewood Lane
3pm Saturday 12 March 2016
Winning sides receive £16,000 from The FA prize fund
Up to the middle of January, he had scored 20 goals in 20 games – better than the likes of Neymar and Jamie Vardy – and though the National League is not quite the Premier League, his output has certainly been good enough for Grimsby.
He has helped fire Grimsby into not only play-off contention, but an FA Trophy semi-final showdown with Isthmian League outfit Bognor Regis Town.
Amond was not around when the Mariners lost the FA Trophy showpiece at Wembley in 2012/2013, nor the National League play-off final last year.
But the Irishman is as determined as anyone to rectify the club’s Wembley woe this time around.
“It’s the best season of my career so far and hopefully it continues that way between now and the rest of the season,” said Amond.
Take your place at @wembleystadium for the first-ever #NonLeagueFinalsDay on Sunday 22 Mayhttps://t.co/hdwThHZqmp pic.twitter.com/60wbwXUqME
— The FA (@FA) March 11, 2016
“I’ve really enjoyed playing with the manager and my team-mates, they’re a great bunch of lads.
“I know it’s an old cliche but I wouldn’t have scored as many goals if not for them. They put the ball in the right place for me, and the defenders keep clean sheets to keep the pressure off and make sure we don’t need to score two.
“It’s a game we’re really looking forward to, there’s a chance to play at Wembley which some of the lads here have already done.
“But it’s something I’m really keen on for this year and having lost the Trophy final a couple years ago, the lads want to right some wrongs. It’s the same with the league if we go up through the play-offs – we want to lay those ghosts to bed.
“It’s not the FA Cup Final but it’s the non-league Cup Final, and it would be an unbelievable experience”
Padraig Amond Grimsby striker
“When I was younger, I think every Irishman is the same, the FA Cup final was one of the biggest days on the calendar. It’s not the FA Cup Final but it’s the non-league FA Cup Final, and it would be an unbelievable experience.”
On the face of it the odds are stacked against Bognor Regis – but it would not be the first time they have caused ructions in the competition this year.
The Rocks downed another National League team in Torquay United to book their place in the semis, having beaten National League South’s Sutton United in the third round.
And those wins came with the type of fearlessness that manager Jamie Howell says his team will take with them over the two legs – even though he admits there are no chinks in Grimsby’s armour.
“We’re not going to change a great deal, I don’t think we are going to sit back and let them dictate – we’ll imprint our own style,” he said.
“I watched them on Friday night at Forest Green, and having gone over the game again I wanted to find them some weaknesses but didn’t see any!
“They’ve got lots of good players, but it’s important for my players to play their own game.
“Beating them would be a monumental achievement for our team, and though we have got to be careful and respect them, I don’t want us to be in awe.”
The first ever Non-League Finals Day takes place at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 22 May – with The FA Trophy final taking place immediately after the FA Vase decider.
