WITH the FA Vase campaign veering towards its final straight and the Wembley arch getting ever closer, the fear of elimination is enough to keep any player or manager awake at night. However, Littlehampton Town already have experience of that this season.
At the start of January, the Marigolds thought their dream was over. A thumping 5-0 defeat at Athletic Newham saw the Sussex club unceremoniously dumped out of the competition before they were given a dramatic reprieve after the victors were adjudged to have fielded an ineligible player.
“It was a crazy couple of weeks, it is very rare that you are given a second chance in football,” Littlehampton joint manager Mitchell Hand told The NLP.
“The Newham game was the absolute worst we had played all season and I was so disappointed at fulltime because we hadn't done ourselves justice at all.
“The reprieve was almost like a kind of turning point for our season, it gave us the confidence that luck might just be on our side.
“Since then, we have been given three home draws in the Vase and our league form has accelerated at the same time.
“Having another home tie next week is such a blessing – there could be upwards of 3,000 fans cheering us on against Loughborough, it will make all the difference!”
Littlehampton's distinguished campaign has also seen them challenge at the summit of the Southern Combination Premier Division, less than a year after promotion from Step 6.
This is especially remarkable considering the Marigolds ensured something of a tumultuous pre-season.
“Our previous manager left just a matter of weeks before the season started and I was given the job with a significantly reduced budget,” added Hand.
“We were up against it but the spirit in this squad is remarkable. Our statistics are incredible, we are the highest scorers at this level, but my favourite fact is that we have not had a single player leave all season. That is such a rarity in Non-League and is testament to the atmosphere around the place.”
The Marigolds' success-laden run on the field this season has coincided with a remarkable influx of supporters with the Sussex side increasingly becoming a staple of the local community,
The Littlehampton jointboss said: “Last season we would have been lucky to get triple figures through the gates.
“This year has been completely different. I remember we had 500 come and watch us in the FA Cup against Whitehawk early in the season and from then the attendances have gone from strength to strength. It's amazing to see, the whole club is evolving at such rapid speed.”
One area where lady luck has not shone on Littlehampton however, is the fitness of star striker Joe Benn.
Benn's form during the first half of the campaign was simply remarkable. Up until January the 27-yearold had found the net an eye watering 55 times, with no sign of his momentum stopping.
However, a freak shoulder injury in the defeat at Athletic Newham saw the prolific frontman carried off, kickstarting a succession of injury frustration.
“It's been such a blow having Joe out, he was on his way to breaking all the records, what he was doing was unbelievable, better than anything I have ever seen at this level.
“The other lads have chipped in with goals in his absence but there is no doubting that we are far stronger with Joe – he's back out running now, hopefully we can get him on the pitch soon…maybe even at Wembley!”
