One of the most intriguing ties of the Emirates FA Cup Second Qualifying Round weekend sees Whitstable Town welcoming Isthmian Premier League Chichester City to the Belmont on Saturday with manager Jamie Coyle excited by the chance of progressing.
After three away draws that have seen the Oystermen net NINETEEN times, Jamie Coyle’s FA Vase winners return home as they hope to repeat the heroics of the last round when they recovered from two nil down at the break away to Dulwich Hamlet to win through in stoppage time courtesy of a Javaun Splatt strike deep into stoppage time.
We caught up with Coyle this week and he admitted, “The FA Cup is the best competition in the country without a doubt. It was one of our focuses at the start of the season to do better than we did last year when Sevenoaks beat us in the first stage when we were still building a team and having a slow start.”
“This year we have continued with the form we had at the end of last season – we have still only lost two games in forty-two games in ninety minutes!”
“Saturday is going to be a very interesting battle from the sidelines let alone on the pitch and we really can’t wait for it!”
“Every game is important and everyone at the Club is very excited to be able to pitch ourselves against another side two Leagues above us – it is a great opportunity for us as a management team to test ourselves tactically and it’s an opportunity for the players to showcase their abilities, and if they replicate their performance at Dulwich, it’s going to be one hell of a good game and we have a great chance to get into the next round!”
“We were hoping for a home tie – praying if you like – as it doesn’t feel as though we have had many home games yet to be fair!” Coyle admitted – the Oystermen have played just three of their nine games at the Belmont thus far.
“We have had a lot of journeys on the road – especially in the FA Cup – so it’s a great chance to play in front of our own crowd and we’re hoping for a bumper backing!”
“Our away form last season was far superior to our home form and we tended to adjust our style of play on some very difficult pitches, completely changing the whole outlook of our side and we would have won the League if we had replicated our away form at the Belmont!”
“We have always delivered good performances since we have been at the Club, but it will be nice Saturday to be in front our fans, and although we have had some amazing travelling support as we did on Tuesday at Hollands & Blair (Coyle’s side won 3-1 at Star Meadow), there is a real togetherness now at the Football Club from the youth team up…”
“Tuesday was a good performance from start to finish and three thoroughly deserved three points. It was important as we’d had a disappointing result in the SCEFL Charity cup final last Saturday (FC Elmstead won on penalties at the Belmont) and we did it in the right way by everyone being at it on Tuesday – players and staff – and we got the result we deserved I thought!”
Whitstable face a Chichester side who won promotion through the South-East Play Offs two years ago and were pipped for Play Off football last year on the last day by Dover Athletic and Coyle admitted that he’d love his side to copy that especially in the way that they have done it.
“That’s a really good point, and I have said that in my programme notes for Saturday. What Dan (Potter the Chichester boss) has done down there is exactly what we want to replicate that at Whitstable.”
“They have done brilliantly to bounce through from Step Four to Step Three – it’s a real good point to look at how to do it and if we can get anywhere near the success that they have achieved it will be terrific.”