FA Cup/Southern Yate all set for ‘biggest game ever’ in the town
YATE Town players and staff are in the starting blocks and ready for the most prestigious home game in their 114year history tomorrow.
A sell-out Lodge Road crowd of 1,600 will watch enthralled as the Bluebells enter the FA Cup first round arena for only a second time following their 2012 tie with Cheltenham Town, this time for a mouthwatering West Country cruncher with National League side Yeovil Town.
David Sims-Burgess, locallybased striker and a will and probate consultant, said: “This run of ours has been brilliant. We’re a hardworking team; the manager (Paul Michael) is getting the best out of every one of us. He speaks to us so well, individually and collectively; and it’s about proving to ourselves we’re worthy of being where we are, with so many young players in the side.”
The dynamic 25-year-old former Chipping Sodbury Town and Paulton Rovers player stressed: “I’ve been fortunate to have experienced big games at this level. In 2017 I came on as a second-half sub for Paulton against Sutton United at the fourth qualifying stage and scored to pull it back to 3-2 before Sutton squeezed through.
“I was then involved in both playoff semi-final games (against Moneyfields), when I scored in the shootout, and final (against Cinderford) a couple of years back with Yate when we were promoted to the Premier Division.
“To be part of the first round proper, though, is massive. We have to go into what will be an electric atmosphere confidently after getting past Dover, from Yeovil’s league, in the last round.”
Sims-Burgess scored his ninth and tenth goals of the season on Tuesday night as Yate pitched themselves ninth and only three points off a play-off berth with a 5-2 defeat of Salisbury.
One-time Newport County pro and Cinderford Town centre-back Liam Angel, 22, said: “I’ve played for Wales a few times at youth level up until under-19 level, but this is the biggest men’s match I’ll have been involved in.
“It’s a huge deal for everyone at the club, as well as for the supporters and area. Many of our team may never get an opportunity like this again.
“You have to feel privileged to be part of it. It may get a bit nerveracking when it comes to the kickoff, but I see it that we have nothing to fear; it’s 11 versus 11, and it suits us to be underdogs.
“Everyone’s champing at the bit for it and we need to give it a right
go and leave everything out on that pitch.”
Midfielder Sam Kamara, 26, a former Bristol Rovers scholar and HGV supermarket driver, added: “The play-offs that saw us promoted to the Premier Division were big occasions. But this is on another level. We did well in both games against Dover and we know we have another opportunity on Saturday, definitely.
“It would be great to make everyone at the club, and supporters, proud, and see if we can create for ourselves an even crazier occasion than the night we beat Dover!”
Yate commercial manager Mark Thorne confirmed: “We sold out our ticket allocation within six hours on Saturday, quickly followed by Yeovil doing likewise with their 350 allocation.
“In terms of prestige, this is the biggest game ever to be held in Yate, even though we’ve been at this stage before, albeit away at Cheltenham. We’re enjoying the limelight and looking forward to featuring on TV highlights and playing against a professional outfit. Importantly, this cup run is opening up lots of doors commercially.”
Aside from routine turnstile revenue, Yate’s FA Cup run has banked them £20,625 from the competition prize pot. A further £22,629 is up for grabs to tomorrow’s winners.
Manager Michael, meanwhile, said of the midweek Salisbury success: “Our work rate was at another level, and we looked so dangerous with the ball and could have scored more. The boys know what they’re capable of; they know when we have that work rate we’re a very,
It would be great to make everyone at the club, and supporters, proud, and see if we can create for ourselves an even crazier occasion than the night we beat Dover!
very good team. We’re on a great run and we’ve earned ourselves an opportunity to just have a free hit on Saturday and whatever happens will be”, added the Bluebells boss, who will be without Nick Rhodes and possibly fellow defender Andy Lewis, and striker Olly Mehew, through injury.
Bristol Manor Farm boss Lee Lashenko is pressing on with his recruitment programme ahead of tomorrow’s tasty home clash with title-chasing Frome Town in Division One South. “I’m looking to get in Jake Gosling, who has played for Exeter City, Bristol Rovers and Torquay United as a pro,” The Creek chief revealed.
“Jake is 28 and plays for Sporting Khalsa in the Northern Premier League, as well as being a Gibraltar international. He’s a gifted, attackminded, midfielder, who creatively can make things happen.”
Lashenko continues to await a likely disciplinary hearing date relating to his heated conduct towards referee Richard Lawrence at the final whistle of Manor Farm’s 2-1 FA Trophy defeat by Paulton Rovers on October 9.
“For 30 seconds I let myself down,” he conceded. “But seven days a week I carry out my duties at the club with the utmost enthusiasm and in the right and proper manner. With all that has gone on on social media condemning my actions, I trust the FA to come to a fair verdict. I want to tell the panel, which is made up of very experienced football people, why my mood levels were heightened while holding my hands up to my shortcomings.”
Of tomorrow’s Frome test, Lashenko said: “It’s a big game against a top team pushing for the Premier Division again. We’ll go into it as underdogs.
“But we need consistency now; we can’t carry on picking and choosing which games we perform to our full capabilities in.”
Mangotsfield United’s hardpressed manager Ray Johnston continues to look on the bright side of life, as his team sets out to add to their solitary Division One South victory when they host local rivals Paulton Rovers, beaten 3-2 away on penalties by Odd Down in Tuesday’s Somerset Premier Cup tie following a 1-1 draw
“We’re still on target to achieve what the club wanted me to do, and that’s to stay in the division,” the ex Hallen boss emphasised. “There’s still a way to go until I feel more satisfied; but we are a better team than that which started the season.
“We’re creating chances but struggling to take them, and much of that is down to the fact we’ve had injuries to all four of our strikers: Joe Beardwell, George Neill, Jaydn Crosbie and our new signing Peter Majek.”