It's in the lap of the Gods which teams wins, says Corinthian boss Tony Sitford

CORINTHIAN boss Tony Sitford says their FA Cup tie against Maidstone United is the club’s biggest game for many years, writes Stephen McCartney.


Corinthian can expect to attract their largest crowd to their Gay Dawn Farm ground for many years when the Stones visit in an eagerly awaited Kent derby in the Preliminary Round on Saturday.

And the 72-year-old says the clash against Jay Saunders’ stars is the biggest game that the club has faced since their return to senior football three years’ ago.

Corinthian sit in eighth place in the Kent Hurlimann Football League table, but they started well, with wins over Greenwich Borough (3-1) and Sevenoaks Town (2-0), but a loss of key players over the last two games saw them defeated by Fisher (1-2) and Lordswood (0-1).

The Stones have won one of their three Ryman League Division One South games so far this season, and this game has all the makings of a potential giant-killing.

“It will be a hard game, but we’re looking forward to it, in as much as at long, long, long last our injured (players) are coming back, so fortunately we’ve got four returning on Saturday, which is good news for us,” said Sitford.

Charlie Burgess, Ryan Johnson, Chris Kinnear and Jamie Taylor are all welcomed back into the side to face one of Kent’s biggest clubs.

“We’ve missed them for the last two games,” admitted Sitford.  “We’ve had seven players’ out in the last two games, to be fair to us.  The lads’ that have come in have done ok.  They’re Suburban League players, two made their debuts, never played at this level before, so at the end of the day of course we’re disappointed with the results. 

“When I sit down and reflect and we’ve got six players missing, it’s not easy to put five players in and expect them to gel.  You can get away with one or two, but when you have more than that, it becomes a problem!”

Maidstone United used Corinthian’s facilities at Gay Dawn Farm as a training venue during their Football League days.

“I was assistant manager there, wasn’t I?” reflected Sitford.  “Maidstone United are a lovely club, lovely people.  I know Bill Williams very well.  It was very professional, that’s why they went Football League, pure and simple, as they were a professional club, they had big ambitions but unfortunately the finances went wrong and that was it.”

When asked whether Saturday’s game is the club’s biggest game for many a year, Sitford agreed, “By a mile, by a country mile.  It is without doubt the biggest game we’ve had since we’ve been back in the senior football shall we say!

“We’re looking forward to it.  At the end of the day I know I’ve got lads’ and they will go out there and give it all they’ve got, that’s what we can ask for.

“We went down to watch them last night (against Sittingbourne) for a full seven minutes and then it went dark.  The good news is they went to watch us on Saturday, which pleased us because they won’t gain anything from that - let me tell you!”

Sitford believes his young, footballing side, can produce a giant-killing on Saturday.

“I think it’s one of those games,” he warned.  “It’s a one-off game and it can happen to anybody.  They could come here and absolutely murder us or they can come here and we nick a 90^th minute 1-0, see you later, job.

“That’s how it can go. All it takes is we play ever so well and they have a bad day.  It’s a one-off, they’ll be trying their butt off, we’ll be trying our butt off, and at the end of the day, whoever the Gods are shining on, wins it.”

Sitford has extensive memories of The FA Cup, whilst playing for Gravesend & Northfleet.

“I scored at Sunderland and scored the goal at Carlisle that put us in that round and I got a Ronson lighter, a desk lighter, for goal-of-the-month for the goal at Carlisle.

“They were great days, they were really good days.   We went up to Sunderland and lost but it was great.”

You can forget about the Champions League or Premier League.  The FA Cup is the Greatest Cup Competition in the World!

“To be honest, if I’ve got to motivate my players for this game, they shouldn’t be playing,” said Sitford.

“They know the importance of the game.  It’s the biggest game this club has been in for many a year.  That’s all I have to say to them.

“I will tell my players ‘you just have to go out there and perform, do you best’.  That’s all you can ask for, 100% work your butts off, play the football we want, no problems.”

Corinthian are looking forward to welcoming a large Maidstone United contingent, which will boost the coffers of the Kent League club.

Sitford said:  “I think Maidstone will fetch 250 possibly, that’s also another point, it will be the biggest game these kids’ have played in for many a year, and the (Maidstone United) fans are vocal, so it will be a lovely day, a nice day.

“I hope the weather’s nice and we’ll go out there and we’ll do our best, play football and enjoy it, have a smile on our faces and there’s nothing else we can do.  It’s in the lap of the Gods, which team turns up and wants to win it.”

Corinthian   v  Maidstone United
FA Cup with Budwesier Preliminary Round
Saturday 3^rd September 2011
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Gay Dawn Farm, Valley Road, Longfield, Kent DA3 8LY