CLASH OF TITANS
Trophy and Vase winners to lock horns
It’s the Non-League super cup! FA Trophy winners take on Vase holders on the road to Wembley
FORGET the FA Cup – it will be Non-League’s Super Cup up for grabs when Vase winners South Shields welcome Trophy winners York City in the third round qualifying.
It’s the first time Non-League’s reigning premier cup competition winners have faced off the next season in English football’s most prestigious cup.
The duo enjoyed a Wembley party back in May when they were both triumphant on FA NonLeague Finals Day.
First, South Shields – fresh from their Northern League title triumph – beat Cleethorpes Town 4-0 to climb the famous steps victorious and lift the Vase.
Straight after it was the Minstermen’s turn in the Trophy as they came out on top of a 3-2 thriller with Macclesfield Town to give the club a timely boost following their relegation from Non-League’s top tier.
The atmosphere should be cracking at Shields’ Mariners Park with a bumper crowd already expected.
And joint-boss Graham Fenton, who is in charge alongside Lee Picton, is looking forward to it.
“It’s the Non-League Super Cup,” Fenton laughed. “Funnily enough we tried to get it on in preseason. York got in touch with us for a friendly between the Vase winners and the Trophy winners but it didn’t quite work with the games we’d already got booked in.
Confidence
“It’s a tough draw but it’s going to be a good occasion. Hopefully there will be a full house and we’ll give it a really good shot.
“We don’t know lots and lots about them, but we’ve seen video footage already and we can speak to the lads at Blyth Spartans about them because they played against York earlier in the season.
“They’ll be doing the same with us, I imagine. But it will just be on the day, as always in the FA Cup.”
Both sides will no doubt be full of confidence after their second round qualifying performances. York beat National League North promotion rivals Salford City 2-0, while Evo-Stik NPL South leaders South Shields took the scalp of By MATT BADCOCK Darlington. Two goals from Carl Finnigan after Dillon Morse’s opener helped the Step 4 side past their Step 2 counterparts in what Fenton described as their best performances of the season.
But he says that will count for a little against another good side from two leagues above.
“We said it will be great to get a home draw, which we did, but we’ve probably picked out the toughest draw of the lot,” Fenton said. Priority
“It’s going to be a really good occasion to be involved in. If we turn up like we did at Darlington last Saturday, we’ll have a chance.
“We’ve been fortunate enough to have three cup finals, that were all fantastic occasions for us, last year and we won the league. We’ve started this season with some really positive league results and then the big one against Darlington. We’ve got to try and back it up with more good results and keep the momentum going.
“The FA Cup is always special. We’re two games away from the first round. It’s a priority but as ever we want to progress up through the leagues so our main goal is always going to be promotion. A decent cup run alongside that to increase revenue and have a few decent days and occasions along the way, we’ve got the Trophy too, then fantastic.”
Gary Mills has had plenty of FA Cup experience having previously taken York to the third round proper on two occasions and the boss knows they will have to overcome a raucous home crowd.
“South Shields are a wellsupported club and the stadium will be absolutely packed,” he told the York Press.
“But, whatever the atmosphere or occasion, the most important thing is to get through to the next round.”