‘Uproar if clubs were kicked out’
FA say Vase is ‘under review’ due to new tier 4 areas
US Portsmouth boss Glenn Turnbull is hoping ‘common sense’ will prevail after his side were handed a fifth successive home draw in the FA Vase.
US will play either Wessex League Premier side Christchurch or South West Peninsula Premier West outfit Falmouth Town in the last 32 at The Victory Stadium on January 9.
But that obviously depends on the Government’s tier restrictions, with the FA today announcing the Vase is ‘under review’ following the creation of tier 4 restrictions at the weekend.
Those new restrictions were revealed while US were in the process of beating Millbrook 3-2 to book their place in the fourth round for the first time in their history.
As well as US, Deal Town, Hadley, Cobham, Leighton Town, Hanworth Villa, Sutton Common Rovers and Flackwell Heath are also through to the last 32 and situated in a tier 4 region.
Both Guildford City and Walton & Hersham - whose third round tie was rained off last Saturday - are also in the highest tier.
Options open to the FA include pressing the pause button on the tournament until the spring - there are only four rounds left, including the final.
Last season’s final, between Consett and Hebburn, has still to be played due to the pandemic as well.
‘I don’t think we’ll be coming out of tier 4 soon,’ said Turnbull.
‘The beauty for us that there are eight or nine clubs in the same tier, so we’re hoping for safety in numbers.
‘It would devalue the competition if you kicked all those clubs out due to something out of their control.
‘There would be uproar if they did that, I think there’ll be uproar if they null and void anything again after last season.
‘I don’t think we’re going to know anything until early January, so we’ll just sit back and ride the crest of the wave we’re still on.
‘We’re still on a massive high.
‘Some of the lads in the WhatsApp group have said ‘we’re still buzzing two days on’. Josh Hazell said he still had cramp two days on!’
Turnbull added: ‘There’s nothing we can do to influence things, nothing we can control. We just need some pragmatism and some common sense, but sometimes there’s no rhyme or reason to what the authorities tell you.
‘We’re in the lap of the Gods, we just have to see how it pans out.
‘Hopefully common sense will be used, but we’ve all been around football long enough to know common sense sometimes doesn’t come into it.
‘I don’t know if it would help if all the players paid for their own covid test to prove everyone was negative. I know the players would do that.
‘Even if we had to play with no fans at the ground, we’d do that - even if we lost money.
‘Getting the game on is the biggest thing.’
Turnbull was happy with another home draw, with Christchurch set to host Falmouth next Sunday after last weekend’s tie was washed out.
The Dorset club will be favourites to progress as they are a tier higher than their Cornish visitors.
‘There’s a few easier draws we could have had, but being at home is enough,’ said Turnbull.
‘Any away draw would have been more difficult.’
Christchurch would be the fourth Wessex Premier side US have faced in five Vase rounds if they were to win their delayed third round tie.
The Priory were the only Wessex side to reach the last 32 of the Vase last season.
They caused a major upset earlier this season by knocking three divisions higher Gloucester City - currently top of the National League North - out of the FA Cup on penalties.
They then held Hawks’ NL South rivals Dulwich Hamlet to a 1-1 draw in Dorset before losing on spot-kicks.
Falmouth are no mugs, though - they are fourth in their league and have netted 52 goals in winning 10 of their 13 league games.
Turnbull said it had been suggested to him that US could move their fourth round tie to AFC Portchester’s ground in tier 2 in a bid to get around the restrictions.
‘We could, but all our players apart from one live in tier 4,’ he commented. ‘James Franklyn lives in Petersfield - Franko’s good, but he’s not that good that he could beat a team on his own!’