We'll have a right go at Cray Wanderers and hope they have an off day, says Erith Town boss Russell

ERITH TOWN manager Tony Russell says he is relishing his FA Cup tussle against Cray Wanderers on Sunday, writes Stephen McCartney.


Russell, 33, spent three and a half years with the Hayes Lane based club during his playing days’ and he takes his Kent Hurlimann Football League side to the Ryman Premier League highflyers for a must-watch Second Qualifying Round clash.

Russell watched Ian Jenkins’ side thrash Tooting & Mitcham United 4-0 at Imperial Fields last night, courtesy of a Jack Clark hat-trick and skipper Mark Willy, to move into third place in the table, only two points adrift of leaders Lowestoft Town.

When asked whether he is looking forward to the game, Russell said: “I was!  I went to watch them last night against Tooting & Mitcham United.  I’m still looking forward to it as I was there for three and a half years.  They’re good people.  They’re a good club full stop.  I’d like to catch up with some old friends but I’m not looking forward to what’s waiting for us!

“They were awesome – they could have won by seven or eight.  They were serious to be fair!

“You go and watch teams and I sit there and within twenty minutes I come up with an idea how to beat them – but after 20 minutes I was sitting there and enjoying it and I almost had to wake myself up to realise what I was doing there!

“They were good! Seriously good.  They’ve got some fantastic players.  I spoke to Jenko at half-time, he spotted me and shouted up.  They’re a fantastic side, probably for the first time this year we’re going to have trouble.

“If they play to their best and we play to our best, the likely is we’ll lose.  We’ve got to have a right go at them and hopefully they have an off day.”

But no-one expected Erith Town to end Herne Bay’s 35-game unbeaten run, but the Dockers came away from Winch’s Field with an impressive 3-2 win in the last round.

“I’m not talking about we’ve got no chance.  We’ll go there and cause them problems.  I haven’t got a problem with that.  I know the pitch, it’s a big, flat pitch.  We’ll train on Saturday morning and work on a couple of things I’ve seen. 

“The last round when we played Herne Bay, the first twenty minutes, they were straight out of the blocks and if we do that again on Sunday the game will be out of sight by then so we have to come out of the blocks.

“The whole thing I will be stressing to them (my players) is there’s no pressure on us.   We’ll have a right go at them and we’ll do our thing.  Jenks watched us against VCD and other teams this season and he’ll know what we’ll do – we’ll go there and play and have a go at them.

“I ain’t scared of them, no way, no way!  That’s the thing Jenko installed in me when I was playing.

“I back us – but I have a lot of respect for him – not just because how they’re doing in their league.  It’s the way they’re doing it!  The football was good, it was really sharp and it’s something our young players must inspire to be like.  We’ll see how far they are down the line to play against like the Phillips’ (Danny Phillips) and (Jack) Clark’s of the world.”

Jenkins is a well-respected figure at the club and in Kent football in general.

Russell said: “To be fair he’s one of those people where if you play for him, you’re a friend for life.  That’s the way the club is run.  Its run in a professional way but parts of it is like a Sunday League team.  They’re so friendly and such a good club.  I went there with an injury and they helped me out.  They gave me the best treatment.  When I came back I wasn’t right and I they were superb and it’s something I’ll never forget.  I kept trying to play because I wanted to repay their faith in me.   It’s good to come back there. It’s a superb club.

“Joe Francis (assistant manager to Jenkins) is the main reason I got into coaching because of his  mesmerisms with players and the way he talks to players and the environment he creates at the training ground.  I was at Thamesmead with Bladsey (Paul Blade) before I went to Cray and I was there with him for two or three years and he had an influence and the goalkeeper coach, I played with him for Thames Poly. Everybody on the bench probably knows me inside out!

“It’s good to go back there and see everyone.  I’m starting off on a journey with management and coaching and they can see how far I have gone.  They knew me as a player and I’m proud to show this team off. 

“I’m sure we’ll put on a good show and take them onto the pitch and say ‘just enjoy yourself and do what we do and we’ll put on a good show.”

Uncle Jenkins will come up against nephew, Lewis Wood, who has been drafted into the Erith Town squad following a rib injury.

“Lewis has been in and out really,” said Russell.  “He’s killed himself really.  Played and scored, went to a wedding and came back in and done his ribs.

“I was having a chat with Lewis today.  He knew I went to watch them.  As much as me and Jenko get on and obviously they’re related, as soon as that game starts the mates go out of the window.  Jenks wants to win that game just as much as me.

“I go back there, he knows me and before the game we’re all friends but we want to win a game of football.  We’ll enjoy each other’s company before and after but during the game I will be focused in trying to win the game for Erith Town.”

Midfield playmaker, Michael Phillips, faces a race against time and will underdo a fitness test during Saturday morning’s training session after picking up a calf strain during the second half of their win over Herne Bay in the last round two weeks ago.

“I’m hoping Michael will be back for Sunday, it’s touch and go but we’re doing everything we can to try and get him back,” said a concerned Russell.

“We’ll train Saturday and we’ll have a good look at it on Saturday and if he’s 75% there we’ll stick him in.

“To be fair, whenever you’re there he really has a good game.  To be fair he’s been hit and miss.  He’s had some great games for us and games where he hasn’t done it for us. 

“On his day, when he gets his head around it, he’s decent but that’s the reason why I want him to play so much.

“The level of the team we’re playing against, it’s not going to faze him.  You want people in your side who aren’t going to be fazed.  If you’re in your shell for the first 20 minutes then you’re in serious trouble.

“The more people I can get like the Nick Davis and Michael Phillips of this world, who aren’t going to be bothered about it.

“Once the game goes on if we can keep it tight for the first 20-30 minutes, I fancy us because we’ll come strong because of our ball retention.”

Visit Erith Town’s website: www.erithtown.co.uk

Cray Wanderers  v  Erith Town
FA Cup with Budweiser Second Qualifying Round
Sunday 2^nd October 2011
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent BR2 9EF