Littlehampton Town boss: Saturday is the final - I’m going to enjoy every minute

The Golds joint manager says they must put everything they have into Saturday’s FA Vase semi-final at home to Loughborough Students – and see if their efforts are enough to land the ultimate football prize.

They’ve beaten top step five sides to get this but so have Loughborough and Hand hopes for a classic tie.

Fans are confident - it's the only way they know.

They’ll train tonight – with the BBC TV cameras present – then make final preparations for the tie. Hand said: “The build-up is always more extensive for Vase games as they always require so much discipline and the details really matter.

“We’ve had four games in seven days so we’re giving the boys as much recovery time as possible.

“We have a couple with small injuries and we’re still without Joe Benn (top scorer) but other then that we’re almost at full quota.”

How Golds got to within 90 minutes of Wembley.

Hand said his last message to the players would be ‘no Braveheart-type speech’. “It’s very much centred around our organisation and specific plan – trying to get everyone pulling in the same direction then reminding the boys what we’re fighting for and how hard we’ve worked to get here. Trying to keep the boys at boiling point is key to winning these big games and that’s my job. You’ve got to be level-headed and precise – one moment of madness can take the game away from you.

“Every time we’ve played in front of a big crowd we’ve played out of our skins. Let’s hope this is no different.”

Hand feels Golds know ‘just enough’ about Loughborough Students, who play in the Uhlsport United Counties League and have had wins of 8-0 and 9-0 this month.

He said: “They’re a quality side filled with players who were at pro clubs. They will be young, hungry and fit and we know they’ll hurt us if we allow them to. Everyone at our level is beatable but that includes us. I genuinely think it’s 50/50 and down to who can hold their nerve.”

Everyone knows a trip to Wembley is the prize but Hand said: “I can only try to get the boys to tap into the way I see things regarding the prize.

“For me a Wembley final isn’t our God-given right. Right now it doesn’t exist: we can’t lose it, it doesn’t belong to us, it’s simply a prize.

“It’s a prize we will get for winning one game, at home, in front of 3,000 of our people, our family our friends and everyone who matters to us. I don’t want the boys to spend Saturday chasing what could be.

“We must enjoy the moment – we may not play in front of that many at home ever again. For me, Saturday is the final and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.”