Luchford wants Faversham to impress in front of the cameras

THE ROMANCE of the FA Cup comes to Salters Lane tomorrow when Faversham Town embark on 'The Road to Wembley' hosting an extra preliminary round against Sussex County League team Horsham YMCA, writes Tony Gray.

A record number of 762 clubs have entered the competition this year. This means that Faversham Town only have to win thirteen games before manager Justin Luchford can proudly lead his side out at Wembley in May next year!

That may seem like fantasy, but that is why the FA Cup competition is the greatest club competition in the world.

In the last ten years, an additional 200 clubs have entered which proves the romance with this competition is not dead.

Last Saturday, Faversham Town began their Bulmers Cider Kent League campaign with a narrow victory against new boys Norton Sports but now the attention moves to the oldest club competition in the world.

Luchford, speaking to www.favershamtownfc.co.uk, said of the league opener: "I think the game was quite a tight affair. I said before the game that I would have taken a draw as it was always going to be a tough opener for us, so I am very pleased with the win.

“It sets us up nicely as the pressure is now off in getting a win.

"I thought defensively we were very sound and the shape of the defence and the midfield was excellent.

“We didn't really create too many chances as the only thing that we didn't do Saturday was give enough supply to the front boys, that will come.

"It was frustrating for Dane [Luchford] and Damian [Abel], but some games are going to be like that.

“Very pleasing to keep a clean sheet Saturday as well. The defence will have a big part to play this season."

The clean sheet was in no small part due to a fine penalty save by Kevin Readings who, since being between the sticks has impressed all with his displays, with fine shot stopping and excellent handling.

Asked about the lack of chances created from open play, manager Luchford commented: "We will always be dangerous with set pieces and if you look through an entire season, over 50% of clubs goals will come from set plays.

"We work hard on them to get them right as we know we can cause teams problems from them. We set up Saturday with a solid midfield, rather than a creative one, as we knew it was going to be
hard.

“Once we get Lyndon [Rowland] or Mike [McKenna] back then it will give us more options going forward and allow Dane and Damian a bit more freedom to express themselves."

The FA Cup can be a distraction and Luchford is aware of that, calling it 'a nice one.'

"Everyone enjoys playing in the FA Cup and we are no different. There is money at stake which can help the club run, so we will be doing our best to get a result Saturday."

Meridian TV will be bringing their cameras to Salters Lane to cover the game for the local news and Luchford was keen to play this down.

He said: "Having the TV Cameras there will be a novelty and I hope our lads just continue to prepare and play in the same way. For us it's just another game that we will be looking to win and get through to the next round.

“It's important in a way to win the first couple of rounds, otherwise you end up having Saturday's spare as other teams are still in the competition, and we want to be playing games to gather momentum.

“Winning becomes a habit and we want to keep that going.”

Horsham YMCA are no mugs, having spent two years in the Ryman League until relegation last term, they will wanting to bounce back quickly and a good cup run is ideal for confidence to any club.

The last time the two teams met was back in season 1995-6 in the FA Vase. A goalless draw at Horsham meant a replay at the Lane, Horsham winning that encounter by the odd goal in seven.

Thinking back to last years FA Cup campaign, Faversham Town lost by the odd goal in thirteen - cup matches are never boring when they’re involved.

The management know little about their opponents but have cast an eye over them on Tuesday night when they defeated Arundel 4 - 3 in a league match. That will allow the management team time to prepare the players for the encounter.

"They have just come out of the Ryman, so it will be very tough, but we have shown we can more than match Ryman sides so we will be looking to get a result Saturday" said Luchford.

Thirteen wins to Wembley! Luchford was unsure how far Faversham would progress in the competition this year but is looking to equal the club’s best of the second qualifying round.

"It will be tough to get that far as the draw hasn't been that nice to us, but we will take one step at a time and see where it takes us,” said Luchford.

There are still a few injury worries ahead of the game. Shane Hamshare has a slight knock to his ankle and Jimmy Strouts will be missing for the next three games, but Dan Whelan returns this week.

Chris Eather is now away for two weeks as well. The only long term injury is Lyndon Rowland, but the management team are hopeful he could be back in three weeks.

Following the draw for the Bulmers Cider Kent League Premier Division Cup last weekend, Luchford thought Faversham Town had a battle on their hands.

He said: "If we are going to win a cup this year we are certainly going to have to do it the hard way.

“The Kent League Cup hasn't been kind to us in the draw. Beckenham at home then away will be really hard. They are a very good side and play alot of good football. However, we are not bad either, so it will be interesting to see the outcome in October.

“As I have said we will take each game as it comes and prepare in the right way to give ourselves the best opportunity to win the games.

"It's been a good start, but one game doesn't make you unbeatable, so we need to keep focused and keep working hard and look forward to the game Saturday."

Article courtesy of www.favershamtownfc.co.uk

Faversham Town v Horsham YMCA
FA Cup (Sponsored by E.ON) Extra Preliminary Round
Saturday 16^th August 2008
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Salters Lane, Faversham, Kent ME13 8ND