Steve Allen has only been chairman of Whitehawk for a few months but already he’s caught the bug and is hoping for a cup run to ignite his club’s season.
Whitehawk sit bottom of the Conference South without a win so far this season and face play-off hopefuls St Albans City in the Buildbase FA Trophy First Round this weekend.
Balancing the demands of running a football club and maintaining a full-time job running a children's nursery isn’t easy but Allen has thoroughly enjoyed his new role in Brighton.
“I’ve not been chairman that long – only a few months – but I’ve been going to the games for ten years and volunteered for a while helping out here and there,” he said.
“It’s difficult with a full-time job as well because any free minute I’m at the club. It’s’ great fun but the results impact me more than they used to.
“It’s a great experience to be involved in the local community club. I live across the road and I spend a lot of time going to as many fixtures as I can.
“It’s always fantastic getting involved in volunteering, especially at non-league level – it’s the only way the club runs with a volunteer workforce. Most jobs are done by five or six people.”
Form would suggest an easy win for St Albans, with Whitehawk beaten 5-0 by Hemel Hempstead last weekend and City just five points of top spot in the league.
Being in the same league, the two sides know each other well but City boss Ian Allinson is aware that form can go out the window in a one-off cup tie.
“The 1-1 draw was Steve King’s first game in charge and there was always going to an uplift in performance and a cup game is different again,” he said.
“We played them in this competition last year, drew again and were beaten at home in the replay, so it’s 90 minutes about who wants it more.
“If we take our chances, we can get to the next round. It’s going to be a tough game. They have players who can cause us problems. We need to be on our game until the final whistle.”
Buildbase FA Trophy history
Whitehawk have reached the second round of the FA Trophy twice – in 2013 and earlier this year – but have never got beyond that stage, with Dulwich Hamlet ending their dreams back in January.
St Albans’ best run in this competition came back in 1999 when they reached the semi-finals but were beaten by Forest Green Rovers 4-3 over two legs.
Did you know?
The original St Albans football club was founded in 1881 and was known as St Albans. The team played at Reynolds Field and their headquarters were at the Crystal Palace pub.
Prize
A place in the Last 32 of the Buildbase FA Trophy isn’t the only thing at stake in tomorrow’s game, with the winner also taking £6,000 in prize money.
