Jamie Howell readily admits Bognor Regis Town have punched above their weight in this year’s FA Trophy – and though they are up against the ropes, the Rocks' manager insists they can still deliver a knockout blow.
Having already seen off two National League sides in Altrincham and Torquay United, Bognor Regis are looking to make it a hat-trick against Grimsby Town on Saturday to book themselves a spot at Wembley.
But they face an uphill battle after losing the first leg of their semi-final 1-0 at home, Nathan Arnold’s second-half strike handing the Mariners the slender advantage.
Grimsby Town v Bognor Regis Town
The FA Trophy
Semi-Final second leg
3pm, Saturday 19 March
Blundell Park
However, with 90 minutes still to play, Bognor Regis – who ply their trade in the Isthmian League Premier Division – are far from down and out.
And manager Howell is not ruling out another famous giant-killing.
“I was very proud of the boys despite the first-leg defeat,” said Howell, who saw a crowd of 2,629 pack out Nyewood Lane for the first leg.
“I thought we played well and ironically Grimsby actually scored during our best spell of the match. So I wasn’t happy to lose but I was happy with the performance.
“I thought we stepped up to the challenge and the boys can take a great deal of confidence away from that game for the second leg at their place.
“The idea was to make sure we go to Grimsby with a chance and that is what we have got because it is only 1-0. It is a bit of a tricky scoreline because you don’t know whether to push hard early or sit back a little bit.
“So the first goal will be massively important, but we are still in this tie for sure.
“And whatever happens we can look back on this competition full of pride. You only have to look at the teams we have beaten and the confidence we have gained from it.
“We have shown what we are about and hopefully people will see that I have some players that are capable of playing at a higher level, but first and foremost we are concentrating on Grimsby this weekend.”
Nathan Arnold celebrates after scoring the only goal of the first leg
As for Grimsby manager Paul Hurst, he has a score to settle with The FA Trophy after leading the Mariners to the 2013 Final at Wembley only to lose on penalties to Wrexham.
That was while he was joint manager alongside Rob Scott, and though he is now going it alone in a bid to put that memory to bed, the former Rotherham United defender is not about to get ahead of himself.
“I would certainly have liked to have gone another goal up on Saturday because they are still very much in the tie at the half-way stage going into the second leg,” he said.
“They've got nothing to lose now and it's all to play for – there's no doubt about that.
"It would have been nice if we could have got a two-goal cushion, but we're in front, kept a clean sheet away from home and its advantage us going into the second leg.
"However, I'm certainly not going to count our chickens yet."
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