We need to be on top of our game from the first whistle, says Welling United boss Jamie Day

WELLING UNITED player-manager Jamie Day says every single player in his squad have to be at the top of their game if they are to produce yet another FA Carlsberg Trophy giant-killing tomorrow.

The Wings welcome a Grimsby Town side that are in second place in the Blue Square Bet (Conference) Premier to Park View Road with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.

Welling United go into the game full of beans after winning their last 12 games and have the players in their ranks to replicate their upsets over Newport County and Woking in the competition.

“It’s a game we’re looking forward to,” said Day on the eve of the big game.

“Obviously they’re flying high in the league above and a massive club. It’s one we’re looking forward to but we know if we don’t play to the best of our ability, we’ll get beat.

“We’ve obviously done our research like we do with every team that we play so hopefully that bit of homework that we’ve done comes off.

“We know we need to be on top of our game, if we want to try and get the right result.”

Day is proud of his unbeaten run at present, form that has kept his side in second place in the Blue Square Bet (Conference) South table.

The Wings are only two points behind full-time outfit Salisbury City, who have lead the table for vast chunks of the season, and are six points clear of Nicky Forster’s Dover Athletic side, who have played a couple of games more.

Day said: “We’ve done really well over the last couple of months.  Probably the first time in a while, against Truro, we’ve had a bit of a bad spell, after a good 20 minutes and might have caught us a little bit lucky.

“Perhaps we’ve earned that luck over the last ten or eleven games.  We’re on a good run and we want to keep it going, but we know it’s going to be difficult but we’ll do our best.”

When asked how his side will send Grimsby Town crashing out of The FA Carlsberg Trophy tomorrow, Day replied: “The starting eleven that play straight from the first whistle need to be on top of their game and we can’t afford to be sloppy or have half a  team performing and people who come on as well, the subs will have a vital role in it.

“We need to make sure whoever plays needs to be playing to their best of their ability. If they do that we’ve got some good players in our squad who can and have shown they can beat teams in the league above and hopefully we can do that tomorrow.”

Day would love this fixture to be a Conference Premier fixture next season.

He said: “Fingers crossed! We’re hoping that becomes the case!

“There’s still a long way to go until the end of the season. We’ve got a game every Saturday and Tuesday for the next six games. It’s going to have an effect on whether we’re going to be going for the league title or we’re getting a place in the play-offs.

“If we can keep the run going and pick up some points hopefully we can stay around the top two.  If we don’t and we get a bit thin squad wise or the levels drop then the teams will catch us up and we have to fight for a play-off place.”

Subject to tomorrow’s result, Day takes his side to fourteenth-placed Staines Town next Tuesday night.

“It’s going to be a tough game,” warned Day.

“I’ve read somewhere they’ve changed their captain and sorted a few issues out. They’ve probably underachieved this year a little bit. They’re looking to put that right.

“It’s some where we struggled last year. We’ve just beaten them at ours and they were a little bit unlucky.

“It’s going to be a tough game especially midweek as well and whatever happens on Saturday we have to put that aside and focus fully on trying to get another three points and maintaining second place.

Day is pleased that everything is rosy at Park View Road and his side deserve larger numbers watching them.

He said: “The minute everything’s going well. We’ve got a big game tomorrow in The FA Trophy and we’re doing well in the league. It’s looking good and we know it can change very quickly.  A couple of bad results and a defeat on Saturday it can change a little bit.

“We’re confident and we’re playing reasonably well. Hopefully we can keep that going.”

Day urges the Park View Road faithful to be in top form and guide his side into the quarter-finals.

“With it being a Cup game and playing against a team from the league above, we’d like to have a decent crowd cheering us on and I think we deserve it and hopefully we can get that.”

Meanwhile, Day revealed he is without central midfielder Jake Gallagher for the next seven days.

The Welling boss said: “Jake Gallagher unfortunately got injured in training so he’s going to definitely be out on Saturday and Tuesday. Hopefully we can get him fit for the following week. He’s twisted his ankle. Other than that everyone else is ok.”

Visit Welling United’s website: www.pitchero.com/clubs/wellingutd

Welling United  v  Grimsby Town
The FA Carlsberg Trophy Third Round
Saturday 12^th January 2013
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Park View Road, Welling, Kent DA16 1SY