Achieving a 23rd consecutive win would be enough to put a smile on any coach’s face, but for South Shields joint-manager Graham Fenton there is something much grander on the agenda in Saturday’s Buildbase FA Vase semi-final first leg.
Northern League Division Two winners last year by 13 points, South Shields snaffled former Leicester City, Blackburn and Aston Villa midfielder Fenton from local rivals North Shields in September before continuing their rise up the English football pyramid.
They are currently second in Northern League Division One, with only North Shields ahead of them, having won 33 of their previous 35 games – their only loss also coming against the league leaders.
While winning the league remains very much part of their agenda Fenton believes the FA Vase represents a chance to unite the community.
And after knocking out holders Morpeth Town en route to a first-ever FA Vase semi-final, Fenton is desperate to continue that run when they travel to face Midlands side Coleshill on Saturday.
“Whenever you go on a big cup run in an FA competition, it is great for myself, [joint-manager] Lee Picton and [coach] Mark Scott, but it is more for the community,” the 42-year-old said.
“Watching the lads on their cup run brings the community together, there were 3,000 people down for the last game and hopefully we will have a few more in the second leg.
“The real hope is that we can bring everyone in South Tyneside together to support the team.”
Fenton knows all about a cup run, guiding North Shields to a 2-1 extra-time victory in the FA Vase final in 2015.
Though he concedes that expertise and attention to detail may give his team a marginal advantage at times, he feels his side will be best-placed by sticking to their natural instincts.
“We’re blessed with a lot of talent in our dressing room and we have got some great experience – Julio Arca, Jon Shaw, Craig Baxter – and they are just really enjoying their football at the moment,” added Fenton, who won the League Cup with Aston Villa in 1994.
“We have had a couple of very detailed match reports done on them this week, like we have done in the past few rounds and hopefully that will stand us in good stead.
“You have to be relaxed, you can’t try to play the game any differently because people are watching. Trying to do something spectacular is not the way to go.
“You impress people by doing the right things at the right times.
“We certainly don’t want them to be overawed by the occasion, we will just encourage them to play their normal brand of football.”
FA Vase history
South Shields have never won the FA Vase, but beat last year’s winners Morpeth Town in the fourth round. This is the furthest the Mariners have ever gone in the competition, beating their previous best from 1975/76, when they were knocked out at the quarter-final stage by Friar Lane Old Boys.
Coleshill are also on their best-ever run, their 4-1 victory over Westfields in the third round took them past their previous high-water mark from the 2007/08 season.
One to watch
Fenton and Picton have an enviable amount of talent at their disposal, with 36-year-old former Sunderland and Middlesbrough midfielder Julio Arca a prime example. Nine goals in 36 appearances are a testament to Arca’s threat from midfield, while David Foley – with 27 goals to his name this season – provides a real cutting edge up front. Gavin Cogdon and Carl Finnigan also have more than 20 goals each this year.
Did you know?
Now known as the Coleman, Coleshill previously went under the nickname the ‘Rabbits’ with their hospitality famous for its rabbit pies.
The prize?
A place at Non-League Finals Day on Sunday 21 May is the ultimate reward, but the victors after the second leg on March 18 will earn £4,500 in prize money with the losing club taking home £1,500.
