Biggleswade United’s manager Cristian Colas has coached in his native Spain and in Finland but being in English football offers him the chance of fulfilling a Wembley dream.
Colas joined United in May 2015 having been assistant coach at CD Masnou and CE Europa, in the Spanish third division and head coach of Finnish third tier side PKKU.
United were knocked out in the second round of the Buildbase FA Vase last year but hope of a better run this time around springs eternal in the mind of the Spaniard.
“I would love to drive to Wembley, why not? I would love to take the name of the town, the name of the county and everyone who is part of the club and the community,” he said.
“I feel so proud for the players we have because despite having money offers from other clubs at our level and above they want to be here with us. They are proud to belong to this project.
“I would love to see the faces of everyone if we got to Wembley. It would be exciting but we know it’s very difficult, it’s eight games. It would mean a lot.”
Biggleswade United face Thrapston Town on Saturday in the second round qualifying having beaten Downham Town 2-0 to kick-off their Vase campaign.
A date with Wembley is still eight wins away though and Colas is refusing to allow his players to get too ahead of themselves as they face lower league opposition once more.
“We were in these early rounds before and now is an important moment," he added.
"If we don’t switch on now, it’ll be much more difficult to move forward.
“The early rounds are very difficult playing against teams in levels below, because they know how to play and they’re ready to play 90 minutes against you.
“I want to move forward in this competition but I know how difficult it is. We have our focus on the league and this competition, progress would be nice for the team and club promotion.”
Buildbase FA Vase history
Biggleswade have never got past the second round of the Vase, replicating that performance multiple times including in both of the last two seasons. Last year it was penalty heartbreak for the United fans as Sun Sports went through at their expense after a 5-4 loss in the shootout after a replay.
Thrapston Town meanwhile matched their best ever run in the competition last year when they reached the first round for just the third time.
Did You Know?
Since October 2014, Biggleswade United’s director of football has been Sky Sports presenter and author Guillem Balagué.
One To Watch
Charlie Black scored two goals in United’s 2-0 win over Barton Rovers in the North Beds Charity Cup on Tuesday night and will be looking for more of the same on Saturday. Black demonstrated his sharp reactions to poke home his first before showing his quality from long-range with a fine 20-yard strike to double his tally.
The prize
The winners of Saturday’s fixture will progress to the first round proper as well as bringing in £725 in valuable prize money.
