History-makers
RA MS B O T T OM United joint-managers Paul Fildes and Mark Fell are proud to be making history when they face AFC Telford United in the third qualifying round of the FA Trophy this weekend.
The Rams beat Red- ditch United 4-1 in the last round, making it the first time in the club’s history that they have reached the third round.
Joint-managers Fildes and Fell have only been in charge for five months, and Fildes is delighted to be making an impact.
“For us and for the club it’s an achievement straight away, but there’s potential to go further so we’re very excited,” he said.
This is a welcome little boost and hopefully on Saturday we can give a performance to make the town proud.”
Mark Fell was just as pleased, and believes this season’s run can help the club turn a corner after a difficult past couple of years.
“It’s a stepping stone for the club, we’ve had a horrible 18 months and it’s time to put us back on the map,” he said.
“Telford have got a lot of good players with a lot of league experience, so I think the pressure is really on them.
“I don’t think anybody expects us to win but we expect ourselves to, we can beat anybody when it’s our day and I hope it’ll be a competitive game.”
Telford are currently 14th in the Vanarama National League North and have previously won the FA Trophy three times, the last of which being in 1989. Coming off the back of a home win against Darlington last weekend, Telford are in a strong position ahead of the FA Trophy clash.
While Ramsbottom may be the underdogs in the match, Fildes believes they have what it takes to pull off the upset.
“The mind-set of the players is not to worry about the other team and play every game like a cup final,” he said.
““I want Telford to worry about us and I think it is a lot more exciting being the underdog in the game.”
Ramsbottom head into the match after their home game against Hyde last weekend was postponed due to a snowbound pitch, leaving them behind on games.
However, the managers see this as a positive, leaving the team refreshed and ready for preparation to continue as planned.
It is set to be a big crowd this weekend, with an attendance of approximately 500 fans expected.