We've got a big hurdle to cross to get to Wembley, says Herne Bay boss Simon Halsey

HERNE BAY boss Simon Halsey says getting the Kent club to Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon will be a massive achievement.



The Kent Hurlimann Football League leaders fought back from being 2-0 down to Northern League side West Auckland Town last Saturday, in front of a crowd of 1,810 at Winch’s Field.

But Herne Bay will travel up to the North East level on aggregate thanks to goals from Byron Walker and Rhys Lawson ensured there is plenty to play for at Darlington Road on Saturday.

Halsey said: “I think it’s great.  It’s fate how it ended up, because it’s one game now.  Both sides know what they need to do to get themselves to Wembley.  It’s all go now, all go for Saturday.

“I think it’s definitely winnable. They’ll have a better assessment on us.  We’ve got a better assessment of them now having seen them play.

“We have to make sure we pick the right bones out of it and capitalise a bit more on their weaknesses and make sure we’re a lot stronger in our defensive situations.

“It’s a massive game now.  It’s the biggest game in Kent and the biggest game in Herne Bay’s history – but hopefully there will be one more bigger game!”

Herne Bay fans are pulling out all the stops to ensure they travel up to the North East to see the greatest achievement in the club’s proud 125-year history.

“We’ll have good numbers up there to support us and be there what could be a historic day for Herne Bay Football Club,” said 47-year-old Halsey.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do before then and a big hurdle to cross.

“There’s no reason why we can’t accomplish what we’ve been aiming to do.

“If we can keep a clean sheet we’ll win the game. I’ve got no worries about that.”

The Herne Bay squad are a close-nit outfit, described as a family, who will dig deep against all the odds to win a game of football.

“I don’t think they like to do it the hard way, they end up doing it the hard way, but they are like a family,” explained Halsey.

“I’ve signed Simon Austin, who hasn’t been able to feature yet because of the Vase.  Simon’s ready to play away at Tunbridge Wells (next Tuesday) and I explained to him when I signed him it may be a very different dressing room to one he’s been in before.

“I walked into the dressing room last week, where was we? Must have been on training night and Michael Turner was on Luke Harvey’s shoulders and James Turner was hanging off the back of Luke and it was like a circus act!

“I thought ‘oh my god!”  They’re just a massive family. They win together and we go through the good times and bad times together.  There’s a massive, massive belief in that changing room.”

Halsey insists the pressure is now on West Auckland Town for Saturday’s winner-takes-all showdown with the biggest prize for a Kent League footballer -  playing in The FA Carlsberg Vase at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, 13 May.

“Now that initial first game is out of the way, I think that all the nerves and the pressure should be off everyone now,” said Halsey.

“That was the nervous, pressure game. They know what it’s all about. They played in front of the massive crowd.  No-one should have any nerves now.  It should all be gone.  One game to get us to Wembley.

“We’ve got a massive task to do. Who would have thought two seasons ago we’d have this conversation about Herne Bay going to Wembley, which is a massive, massive achievement by the club.  If we do it – but we haven’t done it yet!”

Leading goalscorer, Byron Walker, 25, says he will be joining the club’s supporters behind the goal at Darlington Road, because he begins the first of his four-match suspension on Saturday.

Walker’s emphatic strike, which began the come-back in the 29^th minute last Saturday, was his 23^rd goal of the season and a player of his talent should grace the hallowed turf of Wembley Stadium.

Halsey said: “I’ve got three players’ coming back into the squad that they don’t even know about.

“Someone could be a hero.  Someone can be a villain on Saturday. Who knows what will happen on Saturday. All I know is it won’t be for the want of trying.  We’ll be going to win the game.”
 
Visit Herne Bay’s website: www.hernebayfc.net  

West Auckland Town  v  Herne Bay
The FA Carlsberg Vase Semi-Final Second Leg
Saturday 31^st March 2012
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Darlington Road, West Auckland, County Durham DL14 9HU