BASFORD CAN BE TROPHY KINGS
MARTIN CARRUTHERS had his FA Trophy wish granted with a mouth-watering away tie at Chesterfield.
The Basford United boss dreamed big after their shock win over Curzon Ashton in the third round qualifying, and then couldn’t believe his luck when paired with the National League giants in last Monday’s first round draw.
“After the game the chairman [Chris Munroe] was asking who I wanted and I said Chesterfield away!” Carruthers, the former Aston Villa, Stoke and Scunthorpe forward, told The NLP. “He was a bit taken aback, thinking we’d want someone at home who we could beat. In an ideal world he’s right, but if you can get an ex-Football League club with a fantastic stadium… When it was drawn out I was doing cartwheels.”
In their debut season at Step 3, Basford already find themselves gunning for a fifth promotion in seven years.
A 2-1 win over the National League North’s Curzon was another moment to savour for the ambitious club, who have made no secret they want to reach the Football League in five years, and that result shows they mean business. “We were obviously excited about the initial draw with Curzon and we fancied our chances against anybody at home,” said Carruthers whose side had lost just once at Greenwich Avenue before the visit of leaders Scarborough yesterday. “When we looked at their away record we were a bit disappointed because they’d been excellent. “Our start won us the game, scoring twice in 17 minutes. We’ve changed our mentality and get at teams from the off. We started the season a little bit tentative, showing teams too much respect and sitting back. After five or six games we realised we had to play our own game. “We got beat 3-2 at Gainsborough Trinity in October, we should have won. After that we said, if Gainsborough are the one of the best sides in the league then we have nothing to fear. We had to change our mentality and get at teams from the off. Since then we’ve not looked back.” Their win over Curzon made it eight unbeaten, including seven wins, which has propelled them into the play-off picture. It will be another landmark occasion for Basford on their extraordinary upward trajectory when they head to the Proact Stadium later this month. “We don’t fear anybody now,” added Carruthers. “It shows how far we’ve come and what we’ve achieved so far. It’s just rewards now to boost the profile of the club and take us commercially to another level.”