NL Full Time podcast takes a look at the Road to Wembley

Wembley edged closer for four teams in the Isuzu FA Trophy quarter-finals, and the semi-finals will feature an all-Vanarama National League line-up.

Altrincham, Barnet, Gateshead and FC Halifax Town progressed, and on this week’s NL Full Time podcast the team discussed who might be favourites to win the famous silverware at Wembley on 21st May.

Of the four, only the Bees of Barnet are in genuine contention for the promotion playoffs, and they’ll have home advantage in the one-off semi-finals when they host Gateshead.

The Heed still faces a battle to escape the bottom four, with the prospect of an instant return to the National League North seemingly ever-present.

In a challenging season, might progress in the Trophy be a help, or a hindrance, to the Heed? It’s provided Mike Williamson’s side with some good feelings, and that’s something you need when you’re in a relegation fight.

Likewise, might the Bees have bigger things on their minds? Dean Brennan’s side is a playoff contender to the surprise of many, other than perhaps those at The Hive, which is just two stops further on the Jubilee Line from Wembley Park station on the London Underground.

One of the two sides won’t have those competing interests beyond April Fool’s Day (1st April) when the semi-finals will be played. A 3 pm kick-off will mean that all the jokes will have been dispensed with by midday, and the serious business will take over.

In the second semi–final, two teams whose focus may be fixed more on the FA Trophy will meet at Moss Lane, where Altrincham will host FC Halifax Town.

The playoffs are probably a little beyond either side at this stage, and both should already have enough points in the bank to not be dragged into a survival struggle.

That may mean that both Robins’ boss Phil Parkinson and his counterpart at the Shaymen, Chris Millington, are eyeing the Wembley final with legitimate intent.

For both teams, a Wembley success would also yield around £100,000 in cumulative prize money from this season’s competition. It’s not only that; there’s the interest and additional revenue that an FA Trophy final brings.

It’s an irony of the semi-final that it has pitted two teams with more than one plate to keep spinning against each other, whilst two teams possessing a single ‘plate’ each will contest the other tie.

For the vanquished team in the Altrincham vs Halifax tie, they face the prospect of playing out the closing month of the season for pride only, safe in the Vanarama National League for next season.

Could the FA Trophy impact the promotion race in other ways?

Altrincham were due to host Notts County on 1st April, whilst Halifax were due to visit 3rd placed Woking. Both matches will now be rearranged for midweek, adding another twist to the promotion race…

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