The team who wants it the most will get to the final, says Corinthian boss Tony Sitford

CORINTHIAN boss Tony Sitford says his side are relishing the underdog tag going into their Macron Kent League Cup Semi-Final First Leg away to Woodstock Sports on Wednesday night.


The Gay Dawn Farm outfit travel to Sittingbourne on the back of a shock 1-0 home win over Tunbridge Wells at the weekend, courtesy of Adam Marsh’s screamer.

“It was a very good game,” said Sitford.  “They’re a good side.  It was a very competitive first half.  I thought we played very well indeed and deserved to be in front and second half they played very well.

“At the end of the day we got a 1-0 (win) and they would say they deserved a point.  We defended very well second half.

“Overall, I was very, very pleased with the lads’.  We worked hard and it was a very good game of football, played by both sides.”

Speaking About Marsh’s first goal of the season, Sitford added: “It was an absolute screamer – it would be on Match of the Day.  It was an absolute screamer from 20-yards, flew into the top corner.  No keeper in the world would’ve stopped it!”

Corinthian are expecting a battle when they travel to Woodstock Sports to see who will gain supremacy ahead of the second leg at Gay Dawn Farm on 20 March.

Ben Taylor’s side go into the game as slight favourites as they sit in eight-place in the Kent Hurlimann Football League table, with 37 points from 22 games.  Corinthian, meanwhile, are just one place lower, with 31 points from 23 games.

When asked how he is going to treat the first leg, Sitford replied, “Well, like any other game, except there’s more importance on it obviously. 

“They’ve been playing very well.  They’ve got a good home record.  We lost there in the League so we know it’s a very hard game and what we want to do it will be very nice to come away a goal in front but to come away even would be as good.

“Of course we have to compete with them. We know what we’re going into.  You can’t wave magic wands and say to players’ ‘you’re going to be physical out here.’  We just have to say we’ve got to compete at the best of your ability and play when you can, look to score a couple of goals, defend well and do your jobs properly and hopefully we can come away with a result.”

Sitford added: “We just have to go out and play.  We’re not expected to come away with a win. We’re just going to go out and do our best and work hard.  We want to get a result.  We want to get to a final. If they beat us they’ve beaten us on merit and that will be the end of it.”

The winners will face either VCD Athletic or Herne Bay, who play their second leg on Wednesday night at Winch’s Field, with Vickers travelling to the Kent coast with a slender 1-0 lead, thanks to Michael McKenna’s last-gasp winner at Oakwood.

Sitford said: “The lads deserve it (a place in the final).  They’ve worked ever so hard but you have to say Woodstock are in the same boat – they’ve done very well this season haven’t they?  They’ve worked hard and done well.

“We’re both in the same boat.  We’re reasonably close in the League, aren’t we?  So it’s a game that’s going to be very tight and close.  I know it’s a silly old cliché, but the team who wants it the most will win it!”

Revealing team news for Wednesday’s game, Sitford added: “I’ve got Ryan Johnson back available and everybody else.  Nobody’s reported injured from Saturday so we are hopefully at full strength unless something happens in between.”

Woodstock Sports  v  Corinthian
Macron Kent League Cup Semi-Final First Leg
Wednesday 14^th March 2012
Kick Off 7:45pm
at Woodstock Park, Broadoak Road, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8AG