We'll give Larkhall Athletic plenty of respect, says Herne Bay boss Simon Halsey

HERNE BAY boss Simon Halsey praised his side’s battling qualities as they progressed into the last sixteen of The FA Carlsberg Vase on Saturday.

The Kent League leaders came away from Northern League side Newcastle Benfield with a 2-1 win, courtesy of a first half goal from defender James Campbell and a dramatic 88^th minute winner from winger Rhys Lawson.

“We got what we wanted,” said Halsey, following the fourth round win up in the North East.

“It was cold, wet, blowy, but we got the result, that’s the main thing!

“It was a hard slog up there.  Underfoot, with the wind.  I’ve got quite a lot of players who have played at a good level and they said it was the toughest game they’ve played in.  The conditions were unbelievable!

“Fair play to them.  If we can travel 630 miles round trip and come away with a win and gets us into the next round, it shows what kind of characters I’ve got in that side.”

Halsey opened and read out a letter handed to him two weeks earlier by former Herne Bay boss, treble winner Tommy Sampson, who went on to guide Deal Town to Wembley glory in the competition in 2000.

Halsey said: “He wrote, if we can get through this round it (reaching the Wembley Final) would really become a possibility!

“He said he’ll have the radio on holding his Vase winning medal wishing us luck really.  It weren’t mad but it gave the boys a bit of belief so fair play to him!”

Halsey admitted his side’s trademark free-flowing game went out of the window.

He said: “It was a one-off cup game and it didn’t matter if it wasn’t a normal Herne Bay performance. “

Herne Bay’s reward is a home tie against Western League outfit Larkhall Athletic, who are based in Bath.

Larkhall are presently in fourth place in the Western League table, but Herne Bay have enough quality and heart in their side to march towards the Wembley arch.

A big crowd is expected at Winch’s Field for the fifth round clash on Saturday 11 February.

“Very pleased with the home game because we’ll have a big gate, hopefully,” said Halsey.

“Everyone around Kent knows we need to and we’re looking forward to it. 

“They’re at home next Wednesday, so I’ll go all the way down to there and watch them.  They’ll be dealt the same as Newcastle were.  They’ll get the most respect paid to them and make sure we’re on our game to get us into that last eight, which we can achieve.”

Herne Bay at Wembley Stadium on 13 May? “Yes, of course!  I said that last week.  If we can get through this fifth round it becomes a very excitable possibility,” added Halsey.

Meanwhile, Halsey will asses his players’ fitness ahead of Tuesday night’s Marcon Kent League Cup Quarter-Final Second Leg at Erith & Belvedere.

Herne Bay travel to Park View Road with a 3-1 lead from the first leg and Halsey wants to extend their winning run to eight games.

They have also won back-to-back Kent League Cup titles, having beaten Sevenoaks Town and Hythe Town in finals over the past couple of years.

He said: “We’ve got a 3-1 lead from the first leg and we’ll be going up there to make sure we don’t concede a goal.  We’ll win that and be semi-finals in that.  They’ll (my players) will be very professional tomorrow night and the same will be next Saturday (against VCD Athletic) and the following Saturday (against Tunbridge Wells).

“We’ll all meet up tomorrow night and see how their legs are and if their feeling a bit tired then I’ll rest them.  But they want to play every game.  There won’t be too many changes, that’s for sure, because it’s an important game and I want to win the (Kent League) Cup for a third year.”

But if Halsey had a choice of winning at the iconic Wembley Stadium in May or guide the club into the Ryman League at the end of the season, there is only one answer.

He said:  “The players know what we’ve got to do.  They know we’ve got to win the league, that’s the utmost importance.  The Vase is a lovely thing to be involved in. We’ll go as far as it’s going to take us but we can win the Kent League – that’s our aim!”

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

Erith & Belvedere  v  Herne Bay
Macron Kent League Cup Quarter-Final Second Leg
Tuesday 24^th January 2012
Kick Off 7:45pm
At Park View Road, Welling, Kent DA16 1SY