They can't take away my players' heart and desire, says Herne Bay boss Simon Halsey

HERNE BAY boss Simon Halsey says he hopes his special team holds their nerve to defeat West Auckland Town over two-legs to book their place in The FA Carlsberg Vase Final at Wembley Stadium.




The Kent Hurlimann Football League leaders – with only three defeats against their name in all competitions this season – will welcome the Northern League outfit to Winch’s Field in the first-leg on 24 March, before travelling up to Darlington Road seven days’ later.

The winner will meet Dunston UTS or Staveley Miners Welfare at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 13 May 2012.

Herne Bay inflicted Shortwood United’s only home defeat of the season with a heroic 2-1 victory in Gloucestershire, despite having central midfielder Dave Soutan red-carded for a reckless challenge after only 43 SECONDS.

But having held out until the break on level terms, striker Byron Walker netted his 22^nd goal of the season, before Shortwood levelled ten minutes later, before Steve Hanson scored his first goal of the season with a looping header with thirteen minutes remaining to spark wild scenes at the final whistle.

When asked his reaction to the semi-final draw, Halsey said: “It’s another two games of football we’ve got to win to get to Wembley and have a chance of winning The FA Vase.  My views haven’t changed at all.  We know what the job entails.  We’ve got to win at least one game of football.”

No-one outside of Kent are giving Herne Bay a chance and the bookies have made West Auckland the favourites to lift the silverware at Wembley Stadium.  Herne Bay have been listed as the least favourite side to taste glory in the national stadium.

But Halsey responded to that by saying, “I think West Auckland are facing one of the toughest sides in the competition!  I’m not being cocky or anything when I say that.  Who determines they’re favourites? Where do they get their favourites from?

“If you look at it we’ve got to be one of the favourites’, like the other three.  We’re top of the League by ten points, won our last two (Vase) games with ten players.  We’re as good as any of the three sides.  I’m not saying we’re the favourites. 

“It may be the team who has a little bit of luck who gets through.

“Newcastle Benfield (who we beat in the last 32) beat them 3-0 earlier in the season.  Theyr’e beatable, we’re beatable, Dunston are beatable and so are Staveley.

“I really believe all four are good sides but whoever the two teams who have that little bit of luck in those two semi-finals will get through.  They’ll prepare the same as us, we’ll prepare exactly the way we’ve prepared for the last two rounds.

“I just think there’s an element of luck will push you through – who gets it? I won’t know.”

Halsey, 47, just can’t wait for the two biggest games of his life.

He said: “It’s a great advert for the club.  It’s just brilliant.  Long may it continue for however long the road is going to be.

“There will be a little bit of pressure on the boys and a little bit of pressure on me and at the end of the day we can’t sweep it under the carpet – there’s a massive, massive lot at stake individually, the club, myself.

“No-one’s going to beat about the bush.  Every one of the 44 players who will step out on the 24^th and 31^st of March all want to be playing at Wembley.  It’s who best deals with it on the pitch.  Do they panic? Do they freeze?

“It’s going to be down to myself and the three other managers to make their players’ focused and to prepare them and help them through.  We know how we play.  It’s that mental side of it now.  How do they deal with the nerves?  Every player will have nerves, some players will deal with it different to others.

“Cor, it’s just great to be involved with.  Absolutely over the moon for myself, the players, the whole of Herne Bay, the supporters, the staff, everyone, committee and chairman.  It’s superb!

“I will be looking to win the home game and make sure we go away and make sure we don’t lose away - then job done!

“It’s massive now.  That’s why I’m in it.  I don’t go training Tuesday and Thursday and get up every Saturday morning and be away from my family.  I want to be in the forefront of all of these big competitions, but right the way through to the League and the Kent Premier League Cup.  That’s why I train and that’s why I manage.”

Halsey revealed he will have a scout watching West Auckland play on Saturday.

He said: “Already in place.  Phone calls have been made already. They’re going to be watched this Saturday.  They’ve got Beddington Terriers this Saturday.

Halsey, meanwhile, hit back at comments from Shortwood United, who claimed the best team lost on Saturday.

He said: “I don’t know if that’s luck!  Is losing a player in two rounds luck?

“We’re not lucky to win the games, we’ve been blessed, honest.  Their match report in the Non-League Paper is so sour grapes and wrong. That’s just sour grapes.  Their manager was bigging it up on Gloucester Radio that they were the better side over 90 minutes.

“We’re just blessed at the moment.  How long that will last, I don’t know. 

“I can’t say what’s lucky about it, that’s just poor, poor from them.  That’s a whole game of football, 90 minutes with ten men.  We’ve done it. We’re there!

Halsey tells everyone to travel up to West Auckland on 31 March to watch his special side clinch the all-important win to seal a date at Wembley Stadium.

He said: “Get there – it will be massive!  Whatever happens up there people don’t want to miss that game up there, just as much as the home game is going to be massive.”

Halsey paid tribute to his players, saying, “Massive ain’t they!  They’re just an amazing bunch of lads.  They’re just amazing!  All I can say is referees and whatever can take a man away from us but they can’t take away that heart and burning desire away from the ten-men and the bench.”

Herne Bay return to domestic matters on Tuesday night when they travel to VCD Athletic to contest the first leg of the Macron Kent League Cup Semi-Final – a dress rehearsal for their two-legged March to the Wembley Arch!

Striker Walker is expected to sit-out of the game at Oakwood, having pulled his hamstring towards the end of Saturday’s game at Shortwood United, so Ashley Baverstock is expected to return to the side up front.

Halsey said: “There will be a couple of changes and nothing too much.  Whatever changes I do will win the game of football, nothing’s going to change in that mental state tomorrow.

“It’s away tomorrow so we have to make sure we don’t lose, that’s the key, not to lose, get back to our place and hopefully get a win and I’m going to look at the same thing in the Vase.”

“We’ve spoken to a couple (of players) today after Saturday and trying to get our heads around it.  They’re just so positive in what we’re trying to achieve.  They’re all mentally focused.”

Visit Herne Bay’s website: www.hernebayfc.net  


VCD Athletic  v  Herne Bay
Macron Kent League Cup Semi-Final First Leg
Tuesday 6^th March 2012
Kick Off 7:45pm
at Oakwood, Old Road, Crayford, Kent DA1 4DN