RISE OF PHOENIX MUSTN’T SLOW UP

PHOENIX SPORTS boss Steve O’Boyle believes his side can cause an upset in the next round of the FA Cup – but only if they perform a lot better than they did to get this far! Bostik South Phoenix needed a replay, and even penalties, as they scraped past SCEFL side Glebe and will now travel to Step 3 Enfield Town next weekend in the third round qualifying. This is the furthest the south-east London side have ever got in the world’s greatest cup competition, and O’Boyle is hopeful of keeping the run going having also seen his side brush past Steyning Town and Eastbourne Town this year. O’Boyle told The NLP : “We didn’t play well over the tie. We were 2-0 up away from home and cruising, but once we conceded, they were on top and I was happy to get a draw. The replay was similar, we were 1-0 up, conceded a bad goal and it was a carbon copy of the first game. “But we’re through and it’s the furthest we ever got. It’s cup football – it’s not about the performance, it’s about winning. I’d rather play bad and win than play well and lose. “We are looking forward to the Enfield game. It’s not out of the question that we can cause an upset, but we need to play a lot better than we did in the last round. We’ve had a good start to the season, we’ve only lost one so I’m pleased with the way we’ve started but we are still a bit short performance wise.” Phoenix were promoted to Step 4 in 2015 having won SCEFL and finished a record-high eighth in last season’s Ryman North, while also reaching the FA Trophy second qualifying round. In 2015, they reached the fifth round of the FA Vase before being knocked out by eventual winners North Shields, and O’Boyle is delighted at the way his side keeps progressing, year on year. He added: “I’m in my sixth season now, and every year it’s been the highest the club has ever been. This is the furthest the club has ever got and I’m proud of that. We are competing with a lot of clubs around us, I can probably kick a ball from our ground to Thamesmead’s, and it’s hard but this run is giving us a bit of a boost. “It’s money that we definitely, definitely need. We are not a rich club and the little run we’ve had does help. Hopefully we can get a bit more through the competition. It’s nice to have that little buffer and it’s money that we need.” O’Boyle’s dreams aren’t ending just yet though, with the manager allowing himself a brief moment to look at what the future might bring. After all, his side are now just two wins away from a potential tie against a Football League side. He added: “Hopefully we can go one further then we are one round away from the first round. If you want to dream, it would be nice to have a tie away at Charlton Athletic in the first round. I’d take a Portsmouth or Blackburn too!”