Owners don't put any pressure on me to have a FA Cup run, says Welling United boss Jamie Day

WELLING UNITED boss Jamie Day says he is confident his players can get past Thurrock without him on Saturday.



The Wings welcome the Essex side to Park View Road in the FA Cup Third Qualifying Round tie without their player-manager who sits out because of a three-match ban.

Day, 32, rested himself for last night’s pulsating Kent derby draw against Dover Athletic because he woke up with a bad back.

The Wings sealed a deserved draw when Joe Healy held his nerve to convert a last-gasp penalty – after Dover Athletic scored a 32^nd minute penalty through striker Ben May.

Welling United go into Saturday’s FA Cup tie sitting in fifth-place in the Blue Square Bet (Conference) South table. 

They have bagged 16 points from 10 League games and are unbeaten at home.

Thurrock, meanwhile, cross the Dartford crossing sitting at the foot of the Ryman Premier League table and have lost all three of their away games in the League.

Thurrock suffered relegation from the Conference South last season and Day hopes his side can get through.

“Obviously we want to get through,” he said.

“If we play like we have in the last two games then hopefully we’ll get a result that’s needed.

“We really don’t want a replay to add to what we’ve already done so hopefully we’ll get the job done.

“If we keep playing like they have done then hopefully we can do that.”

There is £7,500 up for grabs in prize money for the winners of this tie and Day knows the importance of getting through to the final qualifying round, when the Conference Premier big-boys enter the competition.

“We know there’s a financial reward at the end of it so we need to try to get through to the next round,” said Day.

“Hopefully we can put in a good performance like we have done then we know we can progress to the next round.

“We know it’s not going to be easy. Thurrock have picked up lately and picked up a couple of results.

“We need to put in a good shift and a performance.”

Day revealed the club’s owners have not applied any pressure on him to go as far as they can in The FA Cup.

He said: “In fairness they don’t put any pressure on me.  At the start of the season the aim was to try to get up if we can but it’s nice to have a Cup run and bring some extra revenue to the club.

“There’s pressure in the fact that we want to do well because we want games from it but there’s no pressure from the club on us for us to get through but we want to get through because it’s good for us.

“We’ve watched them a couple of times and no doubt they’ve watched us. It’s not going to be easy but if we carry on putting in performances like we have done, hopefully we’ll get more wins than we have in the last two games.”

When asked about his unavailability, Day replied, “The boys have shown that they’re more than capable of playing without me so I’m confident in them that we can get a result.”

Day has urged as many fans’ to flock through the Park View Road turnstiles for Saturday’s FA Cup tie.

A crowd of 543 braved the wet conditions to watch a pulsating Kent derby against Dover Athletic last night and Day wants more support for his team.

“As a club we need more people here watching,” said Day.  “Fair play to the ones that came out last night because the weather wasn’t great and there was other football on TV which they could’ve sat indoors and watched.

“Thanks to the ones that made the effort.  I think they were rewarded with a good game.”

Day has worked wonders with his management team of Barry Ashby and Dean Frost to turn the club into a promotion challenger without the funds of their rivals.

The Wings finished in third-place last season but they lost to local rivals Dartford in the winner-takes-all play-off showdown at a sold-out Princes Park Stadium.

Day said: “I would say there’s eight clubs who have a chance of winning it or be around it. Hopefully we can be one of those teams and get into the play-offs.

“I think Dover will be saying the same thing. They’ll think they’re good enough to be in there so we’ll see at the end of the season how it pans out.”

Meanwhile, striker Ross Lafayette, 26, who is playing at the highest level of his career, scooped the club’s player-of-the-month award for August.

Visit Welling United’s website: www.pitchero.com/clubs/wellingutd/

Welling United  v  Thurrock
The FA Cup with Budweiser Third Qualifying Round
Saturday 6^th October 2012
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Park View Road, Welling, Kent DA16 1SY