FA Trophy

[Snake]

Well, that’s £5,000 ground out of the mud at Sudbury to put towards the rent as a result of today’s distraction from getting out of Division V. And ooh, we’re in the second round again and this time there is £6,000 (minus win bonuses) up for grabs on top of a share of the gate money!

And it just keeps gets better - if we win the 2nd round tie then the purse becomes £7,000 for the 3rd round victors, and a massive £8,000 for the 4th round winners.

That’s £26,000 for four victories on the trot, or about 2,500 on the gate for a single league game.

Wins breed confidence. And what if we do get to Wembley?

Cue sarky retort.

Tonbridge did nothing for the team’s confidence last season, and I’d rather go to Wembley in the play-offs this May than go there every year in the FAT while we remain non-league.

And what if we don't get to Wembley in the FAT?

[Pe├▒a Oxford United]

Is your cat attending the wedding?

She doesn't need to, she's already Best Cat.

[Baboo]

[quote=&quotRadley Rambler
If we do get to Wembley, I have a dilemma. I remember 'Shotts going up to lift the Milk Cup' - I was 12, I was 12. Do I want to watch us in the FA Trophy Final - I honestly don't know. It seems to be a spoiler of that memory.[/quote]

Why is it a spoiler - different times, different team, different stadium?

The spoiling has already happened for me - Shotts as our manager, Jim Smith Manager Mark II (&amp III) (yes I know he was in charge of QPR on the big day), and a certain broadcaster &amp horned hat.

[Radley Rambler]

[quote=&quotRadley Rambler
If we do get to Wembley, I have a dilemma. I remember 'Shotts going up to lift the Milk Cup' - I was 12, I was 12. Do I want to watch us in the FA Trophy Final - I honestly don't know. It seems to be a spoiler of that memory.

Why is it a spoiler - different times, different team, different stadium?

The spoiling has already happened for me - Shotts as our manager, Jim Smith Manager Mark II (&amp III) (yes I know he was in charge of QPR on the big day), and a certain broadcaster &amp horned hat.[/quote]

It would be a spoiler because playing in a quarter-full Wembley at an appalling standard would be such a visual example of how far we have plummeted. I'd rather remember the day out at Wembley as one of success and significant achievement. And it was sunny!

[Baboo]

[quote=&quotRadley Rambler
It would be a spoiler because playing in a quarter-full Wembley at an appalling standard would be such a visual example of how far we have plummeted. I'd rather remember the day out at Wembley as one of success and significant achievement. And it was sunny![/quote]

I don't see it that way. Milk Cup 86 with quality players will never happen again (Obviously). Those memories can't be taken away. I have ring fenced them as far as possible - the DVD helps.

But we have plummeted so best to accept it and now take any success, however trivial compared to Wembley nearly 23 years ago. Plenty of the fans who follow us now were not even born then or were too young to have a clue what was going on.

[Snake]

“Milk Cup 86 with quality players will never happen again

[Snake]

Now that things are back to normal on this board, has there ever been a better time to trot out the fringe squad and youth players for a game than this one against York?

Hey, we may even win the match, which would be great, but if we don’t then so what?

[Baboo]

Now that things are back to normal on this board, has there ever been a better time to trot out the fringe squad and youth players for a game than this one against York?

Hey, we may even win the match, which would be great, but if we don’t then so what?

Why not put out a strong side and increase our chances of winning the match - okay increases the chances of injury, but winning breeds winning &amp we may as well get vfm from the loanees whilst they are here. They had last Saturday off.

[A-Ro]

Now that things are back to normal on this board, has there ever been a better time to trot out the fringe squad and youth players for a game than this one against York?

Hey, we may even win the match, which would be great, but if we don’t then so what?

Why not put out a strong side and increase our chances of winning the match - okay increases the chances of injury, but winning breeds winning &amp we may as well get vfm from the loanees whilst they are here. They had last Saturday off.

Agreed, I don't want to see us give York even half a chance and I want to see Ricky in action again.

[Ascension Ox]

Now that things are back to normal on this board, has there ever been a better time to trot out the fringe squad and youth players for a game than this one against York?

Hey, we may even win the match, which would be great, but if we don’t then so what?

Good job Wilder picks the side and not you. You're on a wind up again, shirley?

[Geoff]

I'd like to see the loanees play a competitive game with their new team mates prior to the next league game.

[Snake]

Now that things are back to normal on this board, has there ever been a better time to trot out the fringe squad and youth players for a game than this one against York?

Hey, we may even win the match, which would be great, but if we don’t then so what?

Good job Wilder picks the side and not you. You're on a wind up again, shirley?

Nope, but tell me, how else is Wilder going to find out for himself whether the youth banging on the door of the first team are good enough to keep, or confirm those who Mickey Lewis reckons are not good enough to keep next season? Play them in the reserves??? Oh, I forgot, WPL got rid of the second team.

Anyway, I’d like to see Sappleton and Fisher start up front with Hinchliffe in goal.

For the others perm 8 from Groves, Day, Hutch, Murray, the two new loanees, Bennett, Dobson, Haldane, Sampson.

And if things go seriously tits up after an hour then on the bench I’d have Constable, Turley, Odubade, Foster and Clarke.

All in all, it’s a tinpot cup competition and we’re playing a non-league team with home advantage in front of about 1800 of our fans and 18 of theirs.

[Mooro]

Now that things are back to normal on this board, has there ever been a better time to trot out the fringe squad and youth players for a game than this one against York?

Hey, we may even win the match, which would be great, but if we don’t then so what?

Good job Wilder picks the side and not you. You're on a wind up again, shirley?

Nope, but tell me, how else is Wilder going to find out for himself whether the youth banging on the door of the first team are good enough to keep, or confirm those who Mickey Lewis reckons are not good enough to keep next season? Play them in the reserves??? Oh, I forgot, WPL got rid of the second team.

Anyway, I’d like to see Sappleton and Fisher start up front with Hinchliffe in goal.

For the others perm 8 from Groves, Day, Hutch, Murray, the two new loanees, Bennett, Dobson, Haldane, Sampson.

And if things go seriously tits up after an hour then on the bench I’d have Constable, Turley, Odubade, Foster and Clarke.

All in all, it’s a tinpot cup competition and we’re playing a non-league team with home advantage in front of about 1800 of our fans and 18 of theirs.

I cannot believe that people still believe that making the youth team (plus perhaps one or two out of favour senior players) travel half way across the country midweek to get hammered by a team of Championship play off side fringe players is somehow going to solve all our problems!
We have played as many friendlies this season as many of the reserve teams in our old league have played fixtures, but on our terms and when we want them, not when we have to against mismatched sides which helps no-one.
Our youth team have not missed out on their development have they? - two years back they won their league and many played nearly every reserve game, yet none have gone on to mark their mark in our senior side. Since we dropped the reserves and allowed the youngsters to work more in training both on their own and with the seniors (as opposed to missing time resting for/playing/recovering from reserve fixtures) we have seen a steady trickle into the senior reckoning...

There is a case for including more of them in the squad for the game on Saturday, but not for flooding the starting XI with them. Play the team you suggest and it will be chaos, with little senior experience to hold them together, plus a mix of people who have barely met before trying to play a game - win or lose, this will not teach Wilder much in any case.

Maybe put one or two in to start, with experience alongside them to help and organise them, make sure we win the game to keep the home momentum and morale up, then introduce one or two more late on as circumstances allow - we'll be more competitive and Wilder will probably learn more about his squad.

Right, having now bitten, I shall stop chewing and disappear under my rock again...

[Pe├▒a Oxford United]

All in all, it’s a tinpot cup competition and we’re playing a non-league team

As opposed to...

[Snake]

I cannot believe that people still believe that making the youth team (plus perhaps one or two out of favour senior players) travel half way across the country midweek to get hammered by a team of Championship play off side fringe players is somehow going to solve all our problems!

We have played as many friendlies this season as many of the reserve teams in our old league have played fixtures, but on our terms and when we want them, not when we have to against mismatched sides which helps no-one.

Right, having now bitten, I shall stop chewing and disappear under my rock again...

I’m not going to get into the old argument about a reserve team because this thread is about the FAT, other than to say playing Milton United a few times a season hardly counts as competitive football and that Patto admitted on quite a few occasions during his reign players were not match fit during first team games. Oh, and the fact that Histon Reserves have already played 21 games this season and Oxford City probably run more teams than we have squad members.

My point is that from that list of players I provided above I reckon we could start with three youngsters (to see how ready they are) and some of people due to be shipped out in the summer (to give them a proper chance to impress Wilder). And if the wheels fall off big time we’ll have enough experience on the bench to change things around.