Chipie Sian and Punjab United are a double legged Semi Final away from playing at Wembley in the FA Vase Final.

Punjab travel to the end of the London Underground this weekend to face Cockfosters for a place in the ISUZU FA Vase Final and after a recent hectic spell in the League, Sian believes his side are ready for battle.

“We’ve been playing well recently playing Saturday, Tuesday for three weeks and after beating Holmesdale on Tuesday night we are one hundred percent focused on Saturday and the first of the two legs,” he told us.

Tuesday’s win where goals from Zak Byron and Chris Edwards pushed the Gravesend side into the play-off places and have given Punjab just the right boost to face Cockfosters this weekend – the side that knocked holders Whitstable Town out two rounds ago after a somewhat fortunate penalty shootout win at the Belmont.

Sian carried on, “We have a great fan base going – I understand they have sold all their tickets – I hope that we will have a couple of hundred supporters in the thousand crowd and that we hopefully inspire us all to do something special before the home second leg on Easter Saturday.

“I have imagined what the ground will look like, but we know it will depend fully on what happens this Saturday. I think we are there are there abouts – no matter who we play I will always say, I am never nervous and always confident as when this side turns out and is on point can beat anyone in the League or who we play and that’s how good we can be!” 

“I have to get the team right; I have to prep again and hopefully the players will do what they are capable of doing we will have a great game up there!”

“We have so much to play for still this season. Every time I speak to you, I say that I want the play-offs and after Tuesday we are in that place again – I want to be in the play-offs, I think we serve it, I really do. I do think it will go down to the wire as there are a lot of good teams involved and if we don’t get there, we don’t get there!”

“I’m having to pinch myself at the moment – we’re in a Cup Final (the Senior Trophy against Whitstable at Maidstone), we’re in the semi-finals of the Vase, the biggest Cup there is for us trying to repeat what Whitstable did last year and we’re dreaming, the town is dreaming, everyone is buzzing and if we can get Gravesend out to another Final (Ebbsfleet United won the FA Trophy in 2008), but I am sure Cockfosters have the same dream so we’ll have to get out there, work hard and fingers crossed – you never know!”

The Punjab boss then paid tribute to Jamie Coyle and Whitstable for being crowned SCEFL Champions in midweek, saying, “I’m pleased for Whitstable that they have won the League – they are really nice people, and they helped us out last week by moving our game with them – they dug me out of a hole with my wife” the Punjab boss admitted whilst squirming!

He then added, “They are a great club with really good people and everyone at Punjab wishes them well in the next League next season – after we face them in the Senior Trophy Final of course – they are the best in the League, they clearly have been the best team and deserve to go up!

“I just hope now we can repeat what they achieved and get to that Wembley Final. What they did there last year was great and it was nice to see their players at the final whistle saying, “good luck, we want you to go and do it!” does mean a lot to us because we are still getting there, we are growing every year.”

“I said to my players after that game, if we want to be like Whitstable we have to be like them – consistent in what we do; if they don’t play well they have the quality to nick one but we have that quality already; Roman Campbell, Harry Ottaway, if we keep being consistent and get half a chance we will bury it and we are so close to being at Whitstable’s level, but we are not there… yet!”