Walsham-le-Willows looking to make club history in the FA Vase

Manager Trevor Collins is hoping his Walsham-le-Willows side can continue their positive start to the disrupted 2020/21 campaign by making club history tomorrow.

Unlike nine of their Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division compatriots, Walsham have decided to fulfil the five fixtures that remain this year. Other teams – due to the restrictions of East Anglia being placed in the government’s Tier 2 – have accepted the league’s offer to remain dormant till after Christmas.

For Walsham, they will be looking to build upon their pre-lockdown form which left them sixth in the Premier Division, as well as reaching the second round proper of the Buildbase FA Vase.

And victory on the road at North Greenford United in west London tomorrow will see the village side reach the third round of the national competition for the first time ever.

Collins, who took charge of Walsham in March, said: “It’s a massive chance for the players and we have been trying to hit home that message.

“I was lucky enough to be involved at Bury Town when we reached the quarter-finals and the semi-finals.

“It’s a great competition. As you go through the rounds the interest ramps up and more people come to watch your matches.

“It’s an exciting time and you don’t want to let chances of making history like this pass you by.”

Standing in Walsham’s way are a Greenford side who have made a slow start to the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division campaign, winning just two of their opening nine fixtures to sit 19th.

However, due to the recent break, Collins does not believe too much can be read into the form book.

“It’s going to be a tough game and different to what our boys are used to,” he added.

“We are all coming back after four weeks and so for some teams they’ll be seeing it as a chance to restart their season.

“It doesn’t matter what has happened before, but they did show in that time they are a good side because they have had a couple of good Vase wins.

“For us the break came at the wrong time because we were gathering some real momentum. But we cannot be too down about that because it’s all been out of our hands and there is nothing we can do about it.

“It would have been worse going into the break on a bad run and then spending four weeks stewing on it.”