Khalsa hope to make the most of a ‘free hit’
Sporting Khalsa boss Ian Rowe has billed tomorrow’s FA Vase showdown with Sholing as a battle of David v Goliath.
Rowe and his men head to the south coast for a fifth round tie against non-league football’s most in-form club.
Sholing have dropped only two points all season and sit top of the Wessex Premier Division, having won all 13 games on their own turf.
Rowe, who is targeting a spot in the last eight for the second time in three seasons, said: “This is a real free hit for us.
“Sholing are some team and it is going to take a monumental effort to get the better of them.
“Their record in the league this season is incredible and they are currently on record-setting pace in terms of the points they have picked up.
“The only team who have beaten them this season are Slough, who play in Conference South.
“But ultimately, they are another team at our level and I would back my players against anyone at any time. Yes, it is David v Goliath. But look what happened to Goliath?”
Khalsa’s squad will make the journey south tonight to ensure they get the best possible preparation.
Rowe’s men were handed a Vase lifeline when Godmanchester Rovers, who defeated them 1-0 in the fourth round last month, were booted out of the competition after fielding an ineligible player.
“When things like that happen, you do wonder whether it might be your year,” said Rowe.
“On the flip side, we’ve not had a huge amount of time to prepare. We’ve done a little bit of homework. We had them watched last weekend but in many ways we are going into it quite blind.
“We know they watched us when we were beaten by Long Eaton, which was a bit of a nightmare from our point of view.
“We are going down there early to give ourselves the best possible preparation. We will eat together as a team on Saturday morning and take it from there.
“At the end of the day they are people with two arms and two legs. I like to think my players are the type who get themselves up for these kind of games.
“We tend to do well on the big occasions and I am hoping tomorrow will be one of those.”
In the Midland League Premier, bottom club Wolves Sporting will be aiming to make it two wins on the spin when they travel across the city to face AFC Wulfrunians.
Wayne Spicer’s team ended a five-game losing streak when they claimed a 3-2 victory at Coventry Sphinx last weekend.
Wulfrunians, who sit seventh in the table, will pose a stern test.
