Punjab United will be hoping to put their FA Vase heartbreak behind them this weekend when they look to win the Kent Senior Trophy for the second time in three years. But to do so they have to beat the new SCEFL Champions Whitstable Town in Sundays Final at the Gallagher Stadium.
After getting so close to Wembley in the FA Vase, boss Chipie Sian knows just how important a Trophy will be to his side especially as they as still heavily involved in the play-off battle.
Speaking to KSN ahead of the Final, Sian told us, “How exciting is the end of the season going to be?” referring to the play-off fight in the SCEFL where mathematically any of the top nine can still reach the end of season play-offs!
“It’s ridiculously tight,” Sian went on, “And the run that we’ve been on certainly has helped us keep in touch and I have said to the boys to keep winning and that will put pressure on the teams above and that’s what has happened! It’s so tight that it’s unbelievable and things can still go so many ways. We just have to cross off every game that we can!”
“We had a great result on Tuesday night when we beat second placed Fisher, who themselves are on a goof run to be fare. But on Tuesday I thought we were fantastic and the goals we scored were brilliant. They were restricted to a few shots on goal which was great – brilliant result all round!”
“I didn’t have to say much before the game as they beat us 5-1 at their place in the game after we beat them in the Vase. We just didn’t turn up that night, and everyone thought that we were well beaten – which we were that night against a good side! It happens sometimes like that in football where you play League games soon after Cup ties, and in that League game we made a lot of mistakes, didn’t play well and we got punished! I think the boys were determined to put that right on Tuesday and that’s what they did!”
“The big thing for us Tuesday night was the win to take us into Sunday’s Final with Whitstable. If we had lost Tuesday… well I’m not sure but now we are full of confidence going into the Final and anything can happen!”
“I am really looking forward to Sunday,” the Punjab boss admitted.” I don’t really think I am over what happened in the FA Vase – its bugging me it really is! Did I get things wrong? As a manager I have to take responsibility for what happened – it bugs me at the moment.
“Its hit me hard but I think that maybe a win on Sunday and getting into the play-offs may ease it really well but Sunday is another really big game for our community, another big day out for them and hopefully fingers crossed we can bring the Trophy back to Gravesend for the second time in three years!”