Southall will need to replicate their away performances in this year’s Buildbase FA Vase when they host Cleethorpes Town in the quarter-final on Saturday, and manager Paul Palmer is backing his players to cause an upset.
Southall have won six of their seven matches so far in the competition away from home but now welcome a Cleethorpes side who are top of the Northern Counties East Premier League, and have lost just twice in the league this season.
A 4-2 victory at Harpenden on Tuesday night was the perfect preparation for Palmer’s men and he is convinced his troops can upset the in-form Owls to move just one victory from an appearance at Wembley Stadium.
“Everything is going really well – we had a game on Tuesday, a comfortable game,” said Palmer. “They were top of the league and we won 4-2 with a good performance.
“Everyone is looking sharp, we rested a few and we’re looking promising.
“The Cleethorpes match is a massive occasion for any sort of young player or even an older player. There are professional players who have never played at Wembley and we could move one game away from being there.
“We’ve got to work hard but we’ve beaten teams in the leagues above in previous rounds, so I don’t see why we can’t approach this game in the same manner and give a good account of ourselves.”
A Wayne Harvey double helped seal Southall’s place in the quarter-finals as they downed Exmouth Town 4-2, while goals from Liam Davis and Matthew Coleman saw Cleethorpes past Atherton Collieries.
Palmer has sent scouts to watch Saturday’s opponents since the draw was made, and is aware how tricky the task at hand will be.
“They’ve got some dangerous players, they’ve got some ex-pros in there which is always going to be a threat but at the end of the day you get 22 players on the pitch,” added Palmer.
“On their day, Cleethorpes’ front pair link up quite well, one plays off the other and drops in deep.
“But we’ve done our work and we think we can isolate those problems and have a good go.”
Buildbase FA Vase History
Southall’s best run in the competition was in the 1985-86 season, where they finished runners up to Halesowen Town, losing 3-0 at Wembley. Cleethorpes have already bettered their best performance in The Vase, which came last year when they reached the fifth round.
Did you know?
Justin Fashanu, the UK’s first openly gay professional footballer, had a stint as player-coach at Southall in 1991.
One to watch
Midfielder Jack Bennett has played at a higher level but the former Staines man joined Southall for work reasons and Palmer believes his midfield dynamo, who has scored 15 times this season, will hold the key on Saturday.
“Jack Bennett is the one to watch, he’s done well – on his day, Jack is sometimes unplayable,” explained Palmer.
“Jack has been with the side for just under a year, we got him through work commitments because he used to play for Staines.
“He has been about a bit but he’s played at a decent level. We’re just trying to keep him, and the only reason we’re keeping him at this level at the moment is The FA Vase run.”
The prize
For the winners, being one step away from the Non-League Finals Day at Wembley is the real prize. However the victors will also receive a cheque for £3,375.
The draw for the semi-final of the Buildbase FA Vase will take place on Monday 20 February and you can watch it live from 11.30am via Persicope through the @FA Twitter account.
Tickets for the Non-League Finals Day on Sunday 21 May, which also includes the Buildbase FA Trophy Final, are on sale now from just £1. Click here for more details.
