Lakenheath hoping to attract a big crowd to historic FA Vase clash with Shefford Town & Campton

Lakenheath manager Ben Cowling wants the local community to pack out The Pit and act as their 12th man as they bid to reach the last 32 of the Buildbase FA Vase on Saturday (3pm).

Leaflets have been placed around the area this week in a bid to bring out a bumper crowd and help fully utilise the village side’s home advantage in the national competition.

Bedfordshire-based lower-league outfit Shefford Town & Campton will be the visitors for the third round proper tie.

Although they occupy a mid-table position in the Spartan South Midlands Football League Division One, they come to Suffolk in red-hot form, having won their last six in the league and 11 of 13 in all competitions.

And wary of their threat, Cowling believes a vocal home crowd could help to keep Heath on the road to Wembley, having already been left as Suffolk’s last remaining side.

“We have put a lot of flyers up around the village and local area and we hope everyone comes out to support us,” he said. “It is the biggest game in the club’s history.

“The support has been great this season and we’ve regularly been hitting three figures and even if we can get an extra 20, 30 or 40 people through the gate it will make a big difference to us.

“If we can get over 200 there that would be great as a game of this stature deserves it.”

A new covered standing area on the opposite side to the clubhouse is set to be open for the game while hard standing edging the outside of the pitch is also now complete. Both were requirements on updating The Pit to meet FA ground grading criteria following their promotion to the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division in the summer.

Heath go into the tie 13th in the table off the back of Saturday’s crazy 4-4 home draw with Woodbridge Town.

The scoreline had been 3-3 at half-time with Kaine Manels opening the scoring on his first game since signing permanently from Mildenhall Town.

Tom Thulborn scored Lakenheath’s other two in a see-saw first period with captain Sam Hawley having put them into a 4-3 lead early in the second period.

Andrew Crowe proved too much for the home defence to handle though, scoring his fourth goal of the afternoon in the 57th minute.

Cowling said: “Some of our forward play was exceptional but at the other end we defended grimly at times.”

Asked what will be the key for his side on Saturday, he said: “I think it is about our work-rate, I genuinely do.

“We are a team that when we are on it we are very good but sometimes we are just not on it and the players need to take responsibility for that as well.”

Cowling will be without a trio of cup-tied players in Manels, Ryan Yallop and Jack Gould while winger Kelvin Enaro played his last game for the club against Woodbridge. A switch to a wing-back system was said to be behind the decision.

“He came to us to help us get promoted and he achieved that as well as winning the Suffolk Premier Cup,” said Cowling.

“I’m really sad to see him go but it’s the right thing to do.”