Erith Town joint-manager Joe Ford: Not a lot of people can say they've managed alongside their father in the FA Cup can they?!

ERITH TOWN joint-manager Joe Ford says he is looking forward to managing his first ever FA Cup tie tomorrow.

The Dockers have opened their new Southern Counties East Football League campaign with a 3-1 defeat to Corinthian, before beating Croydon 3-0 in midweek.

Erith Town travel to Southern Combination League Division One side Selsey tomorrow in The FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round.

Selsey play one league below The Dockers and Joe Ford, who celebrated his 25th birthday yesterday, said: “We are very much looking forward to Saturday’s trip away to Selsey.

“The club are laying on a coach for the players, management and committee along with a few supporters which makes the day a little bit more special for those involved and the squad are all fit and looking forward to it as we all are to be honest, especially on the back of a positive result on Tuesday, which always helps.

"The performance on Tuesday was a lot more positive than the showing against Corinthian on Saturday and the players showed their class against a good Croydon side who will cause teams lots of problems this season in my opinion.

“We managed to deal with their movement up top and also created lots of chances at the opposite end which was what we asked them to do before the game - make things happen!

“After we had a few players leave on the lead up to the season we knew it wouldn't happen overnight but after Saturday it would be fair to say that we as a management team were quite concerned about a few individuals and whether they were up to it!

“However, the performance on Tuesday proved to us that the players we have brought in are definitely good enough to compete at this level and we are more than happy with where we are at now.

“The lads now also know what they can do if they put in the work ethic that they produced on Tuesday which can only give them confidence going forward". 

Ford revealed a number of players will be making their FA Cup debut tomorrow.

He said: “We have a good few youngsters in our squad currently (4 of which are under the age of 18) so this Saturday will be the first time many of them have played in the FA Cup at a senior level.

“We have told both the young lads and of course the more experienced lads that we need to be at our very best on Saturday if we want to qualify for the next stage.

“We have also made everyone aware of what a little run in the FA Cup can do financially for the club and we will certainly do everything we can to put something back into the football club, although we are focused on winning a game of football at the end of the day".

The winning club will scoop £1,500 in prize money and Ford said: "Listen, Martin, Marc James, Chris Whitehouse and myself are very lucky to have such a fantastic chairman and committee behind us who work very hard behind the scenes in order to keep this club running and it would be fantastic if we could give something back to them and that will ultimately be the goal come 3pm on Saturday.

“But it won’t be easy at all and we must be at our very best as Selsey will also be looking at this tie as one they want to win for the very same reasons.

“We have spoken to certain managers that have played against them, have done our research on them and we are expecting to face a tough battle and very hardworking side on a big pitch!

“Yes, they have lost their first three games of the season but that means nothing at all during this early stage of the season and even more so in the FA Cup - we all know that!"

When asked about whether he is looking forward to managing alongside his father in the FA Cup for the first time, Ford had this to say:  "Funnily enough we have had a few comments about that!

“Of course, I'm looking forward to it, unlike Martin it will be my very first time in charge of an FA Cup fixture so that's exciting definitely and even more so that I get to share the occasion with my Dad, not a lot of people can say they've managed alongside their father in the FA Cup can they?!

“If I'm being completely honest I'm have no clue whether it's happened before or whether there is another father and son combination managing in the FA Cup this season but that's not important anyway, what's important is the club and the players and getting a positive result on Saturday - not just because of the money but also to keep the momentum going which is all we are focused on right now".

Visit Erith Town’s website: www.erithtown.co.uk

Selsey  v  Erith Town
The FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round (Sponsored by Emirates)
Saturday 15^th August 2015
Kick Off 3:00pm
at The High Street Ground, High Street, Chichester, West Sussex PO20 0QC