FA CUP FIRST ROUND PROPER EXCITEMENT BUILDS
KEVIN Phillips believes South Shields will benefit on and off the pitch as they prepare to host League One strugglers Forest Green Rovers in the FA Cup first round.
The Mariners have seen off Workington, Shildon, Marske United and Scunthorpe United to set up their second trip to the first round in the last three seasons and their 1st Cloud Arena home is expecting a sell-out crowd for their meeting with Ian Burchnall’s side.
It has been a largely positive season so far for Phillips and his squad as they look to challenge for the Northern Premier League Premier Division title and secure a first ever promotion into the Na- the for- tional League North.
Some may view an run as a distraction what Phillips describes as their ‘main aim’, but mer Sunderland, Watford and England striker insisted playing in front of the BBC camer- FA Cup from as and experiencing days like this can help the club deliver on the ambitious plans of chairman Geoff Thompson.
Vision
He told The NLP: “It’s days like this why Geoff has invested and put so much of his personal money into the football club.
“He had a vision, he had a dream and that is what was sold to me. I wanted to be part of that and you have to learn to walk before you can run, so we know we need to get out of this league.
“That is our priority but FA Cup runs, being in the first round, being on television and having the BBC here, that can only help.
“What it can do is enhance your chances of signing players to help you on that journey because they see what is here, they feel the atmosphere, they want to be part of it.
“So days like the one we will experience against Forest Green can only be a positive for the future of this football club and to help us get to where we want to be.”
Phillips is “fully aware” of the challenge his side will face against their League One opponents.
But the Mariners are showing a different side to their game as they challenge for success on a number of fronts during a long slog of a season.
Their fourth qualifying round win against National League Scunthorpe United was the first of a trio a 1-0 victories as his players produced hardworking and disciplined displays against the likes of Liversedge and Warrington Rylands.
Technique
Far from the free-flowing, passing game played during their rise up the Non-League system, this is a different South Shields as they show the battling qualities Phillips wanted from his new look side after a targeted recruitment drive in the summer.
He said: “When we recruited in the summer I wanted to recruit a team that keeps going and going and going because last year we just faded.
“I was determined to get those players in ahead of pre-season that could show those battling qualities, coupled with quality on the ball and technique.
“I think we’ve got that now so you can see we have won games in all different ways. You can’t win a league and have success at this level by just playing pretty football every week. It just doesn’t happen.
“It’s learning different ways and they had a tough week, not just in terms of physicality but the mental side, getting into the first round of the FA Cup is a huge moment, but then it’s back down to earth in the league and that’s not easy.
“For me, I can’t speak highly enough of these players, we won’t please everyone, but I don’t care, it’s about winning football matches and getting everything from these lads.”
