We'll let our football do the talking, says Greenwich Borough assistant Paul Blade

GREENWICH BOROUGH assistant manager Paul Blade says he wants his club to progress through to The FA Cup First Round for the first time in the club’s history this season.

The Southern Counties East Football League leaders welcome league rivals Lordswood to Princes Park in the Extra Preliminary Round on Sunday.

Ian Jenkins guided the club to the Fourth Qualifying Round last season when they were defeated 2-1 by Vanarama Conference North side Worcester City at Kidderminster Harriers.

The club have started the campaign better than they did last season and rose to the summit after beating Holmesdale 7-4 in a thrilling game at Oakley Road last night.

Before that they won 4-1 away to Rochester United on the opening day of the season.

Lordswood arrive in Dartford having lost 3-0 at Cray Valley on the opening day of the season, before Danny Smith’s goal was enough to beat Deal Town at Martyn Grove in midweek.

“We’d be silly not to have learnt lessons and the players we’ve brought in to rectify those lessons will get there.  There’s still things we need to work on, to sort out, but it’s all positive,” said Blade.

Greenwich Borough’s football at Oakley Road last night was sublime and the only negatives were that they declared at 7-1 with 11 minutes left and Holmesdale’s pacy forward line after bringing on their substitutes gave the Boro’ three-man central defenders a shock.

Greenwich Borough cannot afford to take Lordswood lightly – it is The FA Cup after all!

Blade said: “It’s going to be tough, like we expect every single game that we play. We give the team respect, expect a hard game but we’ll go out there positive, with the right frame of mind and let our football do the talking.

“Of course, we’d like to go to the first round but the league is our priority and whatever we do in the cups a bonus but of course we want to win every single game and everything we go in for we want to win it.”

Blade has no problem with Greenwich Borough being the team that everyone wants to beat again this season.

“You get used to it, I suppose. It’s just one of those things. Why wouldn’t you want to be? I’d rather be a team you’d rather beat than a team that’s struggling to stay up!

“I know what camp I’d rather be in. As long as you make sure everyone’s in the right frame of mind, fine, let it happen.

“We can’t do anything about it. We’ll just carry on doing what we’re doing.”

Visit Greenwich Borough’s website: www.greenwichboroughfc.co.uk

Greenwich Borough  v  Lordswood
The FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round (Sponsored by Emirates)
Sunday 16^th August 2015
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Princes Park Stadium, Grassbanks, Darenth Road, Dartford, Kent DA1 1DA