Boss tells Littlehampton Town stars: FA Vase tie is game of your lives

A crowd of around 2,000 will pack into the Sportsfield to see Mitchell Hand and George Gaskin’s team take on the Vase favourites, Northern League outfit North Shields, in the quarter-finals.

There’s £4,125 awaiting the winners – but more importantly a place in the semi-finals. Golds have reached the semis once before – 31 years ago – but never the final, which would give them, their supporters and probably most of the town a Wembley day out to remember forever.

Golds were actually knocked out of the Vase in the fourth round. But Athletic Newham, who beat them 5-0, were found to have played an ineligible player in the tie.

And Town made the most of their reprieve by beating Brockenhurst in the fifth round, winning a penalty shootout 4-1 after a 3-3 draw on a breathless afternoon at the Sportsfield.

Joint boss Hand - who has given us an exclusive and not entirely serious insight into his squad - said the team were ready to give it their very best shot on Saturday.

“It’ll be the game of our lives,” he told the Gazette.

“I won’t be playing the occasion down at all but I want the boys to live in the moment.

“Occasions like this don’t come around too often and it can’t be about chasing the next round.

“If we get it right on the day that will take care of itself.”

Golds have been wished well in their quest for Vase fame by many clubs and football figures around Sussex and further afield.

Former Horsham YMCA man Tommy Sampson, who won the Vase with Deal Town in 2000, is among those getting behind them.

Littlehampton go into the tie in great league form – they are two points clear at the top of the SCFL premier after a 3-1 home win over Lingfield last Saturday.

Hand said: “That was vital. The first half, I think we moved the ball well but had little conviction.

“The last 20 minutes we were electric, the subs won us the game, Zack Harris in particular. To come from a goal down and with ten men to win the game shows the kind of mentality and belief of the boys.”