The boys and the club are buzzing - It's a road to Wembley that is an achievable objective, says Glebe joint-manager Craig Nelson

GLEBE joint-manager Craig Nelson says The FA Vase is an achievable objective to reach Wembley Stadium.

The Chislehurst based outfit are sitting at the top of the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division table, having banked 31 points from their 15 games.

The Foxes are a point clear of Faversham Town, who have a couple of games in hand and Sammy Moore’s side will reclaim top spot should they avoid defeat at Welling Town tomorrow.

Glebe were knocked out of the Challenge Cup in midweek, going down to a 2-0 defeat at Tunbridge Wells.

“We made a lot of changes due to our FA Vase game tomorrow, as this allowed us to give some boys minutes that haven’t featured much and they did really well,” said Nelson, who runs the side alongside Danny Oakins.

“We dominated the game and the ball but two moments from their right winger swung the game in their favour.

“I was so happy with large parts of our performance but obviously not the result. We wish Tunbridge Wells the best of luck on their cup journey.”

Nelson added: “Teddy Green and Darion Dowrich have recently rejoined the squad and got some valuable minutes against Tunbridge Wells on Tuesday night.”

Glebe make the trip to Buckinghamshire tomorrow to tackle Burnham in The FA Vase Second Round.

Burnham are in tenth-place in the Combined Counties League Premier Division North table having picked up 16 points (four wins, four draws) from their 11 league outings.

Burnham held league leaders Rayners Lane to a 4-4 draw at home last Saturday, while Glebe went down to a 3-1 home defeat to Deal Town.

“We are really looking forward to the game.  The boys and the club are buzzing. It's a road to Wembley that is an achievable objective.  There’s nothing better than a good cup run,” said Nelson.

“We know that it will be a difficult game.  They have three of the top six goalscorers in the league, so they have fire power at their disposal, which makes any time dangerous and it’s a one off cup game that needs to be decided on the day which adds extra incentive, so we will expect them to be a tough opposition to beat.”

Reflecting on their current league position, Nelson said: “We are still top of the league with points in the bag but Faversham have two games in hand.

“We are doing really well and things are coming together really nicely.  With a third of the season gone, we feel as though we could have had more points on the board due to being comfortably ahead in games that we have drawn but if  you would have said at the start of the season, after 15 games we would be top of the league, we would have bitten your hand off!”

Nelson revealed the players that are currently on the treatment table at present.

Jamal Abubakari (twisted/sprained ankle), Drew Allassani (foot/ligament damage) and Frankie Sawyer (ankle ligament damage) are currently injured.

Glebe have recently added centre-half Jamie Coyle, 40, to the squad, following his recent release from Erith & Belvedere, following a budget cut at the Isthmian League South East Division outfit.

Matt Longhurst also released striker Chris Dickson, 38, who has since joined Isthmian League Premier Division side Chatham Town.

“Jamie has added experience and quality to the team both on and off the pitch.  His organisation, communication, decision making and execution are top drawer and exactly what we have been missing,” said Nelson.

“He has integrated into the group really well too, the younger boys will learn a lot from him.  Jamie is a true professional and we are lucky to have him with us.”

Faversham Town are expected to claim the league title and bounce back at the first attempt after relegation – with an £11,000 per week budget, the largest ever budget in the history of the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division.

Three clubs, Corinthian (fourth-place), Fisher (seventh) and bottom side Kennington do not have a budget, while Glebe have reduced theirs from last season.

“Success for Glebe this season would be to finish in the play-off positions and to continue to provide opportunities and pathways for players to advance their careers and development,” said Nelson.

“As I have mentioned previously, there is a lot of growth going on at the club at the moment and it’s a pleasure to be a part of.”

Burnham  v  Glebe
The Isuzu FA Vase Second Round
Saturday 11 November 2023
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Wymers Wood Road, Burnham, Buckinghamshire SL1 8JG