AFC all set for their big day in FA Vase
HINCKLEY AFC play arguably the biggest game in their history when Buckland Athletic visit St John’s Park in the last 16 of the Buildbase FA Vase.
With the two sides just three ties away from walking out at Wembley on May 21, Carl Abbott’s side will be looking to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in their history with victory over The Bucks on Saturday.
The Devon outfit will come into the game as favourites. They play one level higher than Hinckley in the Western League Premier Division and will arrive at St John’s Park having not been defeated since the middle of October.
Since that loss to Melksham Town they have gone 13 games unbeaten, winning 12 of them, including a Vase victory at former winners Sholing.
Hinckley, meanwhile, have lost their last two games against the top two sides in their league and will want to right the wrongs of the last fortnight with a victory that would continue their best ever run in the competition.
Assistant manager Paul Tomlinson says that although Buckland are an unknown quantity, his side will have researched their opposition by the time they make the long trip up from the south west on Saturday.
He said: “We’re speaking to people, so by the time Saturday comes around we’ll have done our homework on them.
“We know they’re a good side but we want to look closer at their strengths and weaknesses - where they can possibly hurt us and, more importantly, where we can hurt them.
“For us, it’s about picking the lads up after a couple of defeats in our last two league games and trying to get a positive result on Saturday.”
The winners will progress to the last eight of the competition, the draw for which is made on Monday, and will receive £1,875 from the FA’s prize fund.