PEWITS CAN LOOK BACK ON TOP CUP M-EMORIES
AFTER Emley AFC’s victory against Whickham last weekend, their manager, Richard Tracey, savoured one of his favourite moments in football.
The Pewits had made it to the Isuzu FA Vase quarter-finals in front of the largest crowd to watch them since the club returned to the West Yorkshire village in 2005.
The previous time they reached this stage of the competition, they went on to Wembley.
“It’s a bit surreal. Monumental too,” Tracey told The NLP.
“We entered right at the start, knowing we were 10 games from the final, so the end point isn’t on your radar.”
Worcester City, Hellenic League promotion hopefuls rated by bookmakers as favourites to lift the trophy this time, block Emley’s path to the last four.
It will be a rare away date after eliminating six foes on home turf.
Not that Emley should be daunted; they are unbeaten on the road in the Northern Counties East League’s top-flight before kick-off against Tadcaster yesterday, and occupy top spot in the table.
A run to the FA Cup third qualifying round earlier this season, when they were stopped only by Alfreton Town from National League North, has seen confidence soar among the players.
Tracey said: “Worcester are probably an opponent we’d have wanted to avoid, but if we want to win the FA Vase then we have to beat the best teams left in it.
“The most noticeable benefit from our knockout success is the belief it’s given the group, and that’s proven by how often we’ve scored late – these lads know we can get over the line.”
As a boy who grew up in nearby Mirfield, the 44-year-old is aware of what it means to revive Emley’s fortunes.
Curiously, he made his full debut for Rotherham as a teenager when they dumped the Pewits out of the FA Cup after a replay in 1998.
They had famously lost narrowly at Premier League West Ham in the third round the previous season – a tie in which now assistant manager Steve Nicholson featured from the start.
“There were two teams in Huddersfield back then – Town and Emley,” recalled Tracey, a striker that played for Carlisle and Macclesfield in the Football League before turning semi-pro.
“I knew the history when I came in, but it’s not something that adds pressure. Their heritage is something special, and it was fantastic to see everybody’s emotional reaction last weekend.”
There will be even more to celebrate if Emley reach their long-term objective of promotion to the Northern Premier League come April; the Welfare Ground hasn’t hosted fixtures in that competition since the turn of the century.
Tracey added: “I trust my players; they’re good enough, and will relish these next two months.”