The chairman would kill me if I didn't take The FA Cup seriously, says VCD boss Tony Russell

VCD ATHLETIC manager Tony Russell says his side will not win The FA Cup this season.

The Crayford-based club have extended their impressive unbeaten run to 24 games (winning 22 of them) and lie in second-place in the Ryman League Division One North table after clinching promotion from the Kent League after finishing runners-up.

Vickers’ have won all five of their league games this season and it would have been six out of six had their game at relegated Thurrock not been abandoned with Russell’s men 2-0 up.

Russell bemoaned: “Saturday was a bit of a joke really, 2-0 up with fourteen minutes to go and the ref calls it off!  

“I think we might have to replay that game so that’s spoilt it a little bit and leaves a bitter taste in your mouth because the boys put so much effort into the game because Thurrock are a good side.

“Apart from that to win five out of five, I would have taken that before the start of the season!”

VCD Athletic then thrashed their Kent rivals Erith & Belvedere 6-2 at Oakwood on Bank Holiday Monday.

Russell said: “With the greatest respect to Erith & Belvedere that was probably our worst performance of the season!

“We were really slack, we didn’t play particularly well but to win 6-2 in any game you’d be happy with, but I wasn’t overly happy with the performance, but you’d take that again.”

Most managers would be shouting off the rooftops if their team had beaten their nearest rivals by that scoreline – but Russell wasn’t happy with his side despite thrashing Martin Ford’s men.

“I try to not get too far ahead of yourself and try to assess every game on its own merit and give the boys’ feedback on that and talk about the things we need to work on,” said Russell.

“We wasn’t happy! We did get on to them after the game.  It wasn’t acceptable! We’ve set ourselves standards now regardless of the opponent. We have to try and keep those standards going.  We kept going through the motions a little bit.

“Take the scoreline out of it and just concentrate on the performance, it wasn’t good enough! We’re always going to push them. I think you have to do that when you know the ability in the side you have to push them.

“Sometimes you can play really badly and nick a result, but that’s fair enough. If you keep doing that a bad result is around the corner.

“When you win and you don’t play well it’s important that you highlight the fact and that’s why we’re on such a good run.”

Attention now turns to The FA Cup – and a visit from Burgess Hill Town in the Preliminary Round on Saturday.

The Hillians’ are in sixth-place in the Ryman League Division One South table with three wins and two draws from their opening six outings.

Russell and his assistant manager Ray Powell have done their homework on their opponents and watched their 2-0 home win over Eastbourne Town.

“Me and Razor went to watch them last Friday, we drove to watch them against Eastbourne Town and they’re a good side.

“We’ve got a few knocks. We haven’t got a midweek game a week later so as much as I love The FA Cup and everything about it, I’m also a realist and I’m not going to win it, as confident I am, some would say arrogant, I can’t win it so what I’m going to do is to take this opportunity to give a couple of them a two week break to rest their injuries.

“It’s not like I’m not taking it seriously at all because the chairman would kill me if I said that!

“To me, our main priority is a week later in the league.

“They’re going to be hard to beat. I went to watch them and they’re very workmanlike with some good players.

“We just have to concentrate on ourselves. We’re in tonight and we’ve got a game plan and we’ll work on that tonight and if we implement that we’ll have a chance.

“I don’t want a replay, I really don’t want a replay.  Me and Razor were driving back and we hit loads of traffic – imagine what it’s going to be like Tuesday night!

“We haven’t drawn many games in that 24 – we try and go on a front foot so hopefully that continues!”

Russell revealed that central defender Nick Reeves (groin) and midfielder Karl Dent (leg) will not be risked.

He added: “We’ve got a good squad so it gives other people a chance to put their foot forward and show me what they’ve got.”

But with £1,925 in prize money up for grabs for the winners in the Preliminary Round, Russell is fully aware of the importance of getting past the West Sussex side.

Russell, who revealed a few weeks ago that he is working with the same budget that he had in the Kent League last season, said: “Clubs are our level, any bit of money they can get in is like gold dust.

“When I went to the chairman in the summer and said have I got any extra money, he said no. Then he’d probably say if you have a good FA Cup run it may be something different, I don’t know.

“I’m just trying to concentrate on things that I’ve got a chance at. I love The FA Cup, magic and everything and it’s good for the club and good for money.

“It’s one of those where you can just have a little run and you find yourselves somewhere.

“We play with freedom anyway and I tell them to go and express themselves even more so in The FA Cup.”

“I’ll tell them to have a right good go. There will be no complacency.  We’re not like that. The boys are a right honest bunch.

“I think it’s a bit of relief to have a little bit of fun with it and express themselves but if it’s the league game we tell them the same so there’s no great difference.”

Visit VCD Athletic’s website: www.vcdathletic.co.uk  

VCD Athletic  v  Burgess Hill Town
The FA Cup with Budweiser Preliminary Round
Saturday 31^st August 2013
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Oakwood, Old Road, Crayford, Kent DA1 4DN