BLOODS, SWEAT AND TEARS WILL HEARTEN MAHER

JASON MAHER says he has “unfinished business” with the FA Vase after his Saffron Walden Town side booked their place in round two with a replay victory over Biggleswade United.

The Bloods thrashed the fellow Step 5 club 5-1 to set up a clash with FC Clacton and continue their impressive start to the season which has seen them unbeaten in their first nine league matches.

The FA Vase is a competition Maher knows well from his time at Bowers and Pitsea where he was assistant manager under long-time friend Rob Small during their run to the semi-finals in 2015-16.

Bowers were beaten 4-3 on aggregate by eventual winners Morpeth Town through an injury time goal from Luke Carr.

“I would be lying if I said that I don’t still think about that match,” Maher said. “When you get to a semi-final and experience the heart break we did, in the last minute of injury time, it leaves something with you. Being so close there is definitely a feeling of unfinished business.

“We’ve got four boys at Saffron Walden who were part of that Bowers squad and we were a width of the post away from Wembley.”

Maher was joined at Catons Lane by captain Scott Pethers, Harley Kee, Jules Parsons and midfielder Ross Adams who netted twice in Tuesday night’s win.

Bowers boss Small even contributed to Saffron Walden’s pre-season, while Maher was recovering from an Achilles injury.

“It’s a great start. I’m over the moon because it’s a club very close to my heart and I’m desperate to take us to Step 4.

“I’m very lucky to have been at the club for seven of the last eight seasons. First as assistant manager and now as the number one.”

The midweek triumph was spearheaded by Adams’ brace and followed a similar pattern to the initial tie with Saffron Walden racing into a three-goal lead.

In the first tie, at Biggleswade last Friday night, Maher’s side let slip a 3-0 half-time lead and were forced to settle for a 4-4 draw.

With the tie perfectly poised at 3-3, Biggleswade missed a penalty before cancelling out Saffron Walden’s fourth with a 123rd minute leveller.

But the Essex Senior League side weren’t about to make the same mistake twice and this time put the game out of sight with second-half strikes from Charlie Cole and Nathan Scarborough.

“We should have won the first game,” Maher said. “In the replay, we executed the game plan perfectly and 5-1 was a fair reflection.

“In a competition like the Vase you might only get one chance in your career to get to the final but I still dream of going to Wembley as a manager.

“I fancy us against anybody. With the firepower we’ve got and the players in our squad, no-one will want to come to Saffron Walden.”