We will be doing everything in our power to have another FA Vase run this year, says Deal Town coach Steve King

DEAL TOWN coach Steve King says his side will have to be at their best to beat Kennington in The FA Vase First Round tomorrow.

 

The two sides met at Homelands Stadium in Ashford last weekend, with Deal Town progressing through to the Kent Senior Trophy Second Round with a 5-1 win.

But King expects a different game from Dan Scorer’s side tomorrow.

Deal Town are presently in fifth-place in the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division table with 27 points from 11 games, while Kennington are three places lower with 19 points on the board after 12 league outings.

“Another big game against really tough opponents. Kennington are a side we have a lot of respect for and I have no doubt they will finish in the top eight this year,” said King.

“Despite last week’s result, we are under no illusion about how tough the game will be. We are obviously confident but our preparation has been thorough this week and we are fully prepared and we will need to be at our best to progress.

“We’re expecting a very tough one.  The league game here in September was very tight and I expect tomorrow’s game to be no different.

“Both sides have settled and united squad’s and we know all about Kennington’s strengths.

“I expect it to be another entertaining game with a few goals in it, if recent games are anything to go by.

“We were pleased with how we played going forward last week. Kennington’s record at home has been outstanding for the last couple of weeks so it was a big win for us in our development.

“It was our eighth win on the bounce so spirits are high in the camp.   We have been defending really well recently so to restrict them to only one goal was a good effort considering their goalscoring feats, especially at home.

“We know we are going to be at our best defensively again tomorrow.”

Deal Town have a decent FA Vase record as Derek Hares’ men reached the Third Round last season, losing 4-1 at home to Binfield and the season before they lost 2-0 at Consett in the last sixteen.  

Tommy Sampson guided the club to Wembley glory back in 2000, beating Chippenham Town, thanks to that goal from Roly Graham.

Kennington, meanwhile, also reached the Third Round last season, losing on penalties to Sutton Common Rovers after a 1-1 draw.

“We are always privileged to be involved in The FA Vase, especially considering the clubs history.

“We had a great run to the last 16 two seasons ago and will be doing everything in our power to have another run this year.

“We are hoping for a crowd of at least 300 so I want to thank all the fans for their support in advance.”

Visit Deal Town's website: www.dealtownfc.co.uk

Deal Town  v  Kennington
The Buildbase FA Vase First Round
Saturday 23 October 2021
Kick Off 3:00pm
at The Charles Sports Ground, St Leonards Road, Deal, Kent CT14 9AU