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Final lap
Story courtesy of Burton Mail
Gresley Rovers face FA Cup heroes Littlehampton Town on the final lap of their glorious march towards Wembley.
Rovers were this afternoon drawn against the Sussex County League side in the two-leg semi-final of the FA Vase.But they will be disappointed that they have home advantage in the first leg on March 23, with the return at The Sportsfield on March 30.
Littlehampton made their name earlier in the season when they reached the first round proper of the FA Cup for the first time in their history before going down 2-0 at home to Northampton Town.
Rovers’ committee have a meeting tonight when they will discuss arrangements for the biggest game in the club’s 109-year history.
The Moat Ground leg of the tie will almost certainly be all-ticket, with the capacity probably restricted to 2,500.
In the other semi-final last season’s beaten semi-finalists Guisley from the North East await the outcome of the replay between Beazer Homes League pair Hyde Town – also semi-finalists last season – and Trowbridge Town.
Rovers despatched Harwich & Parkeston of the Jewson Eastern League in Saturday’s quarter-final thanks to goals from Paul Acklam and Carl Rathbone to earn the club a place in the last four of the competition for the first time.
And manager Frank Northwood was quick and lavish in his praise afterwards – both for his players and the hundreds of supporters that made the 250 mile trip to Essex to see a new chapter written in Rovers’ history.
“We asked the lads for 100 per cent and that’s what they gave – no-one could have asked for more,” he said afterwards. “We came for a result and they got it for us. It was a hard game but we defended magnificently and when they were forced to come at us at 2-0 we weathered the storm.”
