HYTHE HEROES: I will bring the lads back down to earth in time for FA Vase trip to VCD, says Porter

Sunday 07th November 2010

HYTHE TOWN’S FA Cup heroics will go down in the memory of all involved - but it’s back to reality for their next game - a FA Carlsberg Vase Second Round tie at Kent League leaders VCD Athletic on Saturday, writes Stephen McCartney.

Gary Mickelborough went down in history when he became the first Hythe Town player to score in the FA Cup First Round when his 26th minute strike was just rewards for the 252 travelling fans, but League Two strugglers Hereford United comfortably won the game 5-1 to win their first game at Edgar Street at the eleventh attempt.

Manager Scott Porter, 31, told www.kentishfootball.co.uk yesterday that playing the likes of Stains Town and Hereford United has given everybody at the club to clinch promotion out of the Kent League at the end of this season.

“That’s what I said to the players,” he said. “It’s back down to earth and we want to win every game now and we need to get back on track in the league.

“I wanted to win the league when I (first took over as) manager of the club. I’ve always said promotion into Ryman South was a must and that we can push every single team in our league to that step and gain promotion and look back on these days and still celebrate and look back on the FA Cup as well.

“It’s all about the league now. We want a good run in the Vase and that’s important for the club and it’s important for me, but the league is definitely the one we want.”

Ricky Bennett has guided VCD Athletic to the Kent League summit in only his first season in charge of the Crayford based club with 24 points from 12 games.

Hythe Town, meanwhile, have dropped down to ninth place with 13 points from 7 games, but they do have games in hand over all of the sides above them due to their historic FA Cup run, which has banked £29,750 in prize money and gate receipts from their seven FA Cup ties, including 2,717 fans at Edgar Street yesterday.

“That’s the reality, it’s reality now, it will kick in,” said Porter, who relished all the media attention during the last two weeks, but none of the nationals will care about Hythe’s FA Vase tie at Oakwood at the weekend.

“I’ve always brought the lads back down to earth and I’ll do it again Sunday before we go (back home on the coach from Hereford) but we know what we’ve got to do now. We’ve got to win every game now.”

Reflecting on his last two weeks, following his side’s excellent 2-0 home win over Blue Square Bet South side Staines Town, Porter said: “It’s amazing, the paper’s, every time my phone rang you didn’t know who it was and they wanted stories and it’s great. It’s just been an amazing two weeks and I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.

“It’s the proudest moment in football for me, without a doubt.”

Porter also received a phone call from Harry Redknapp on the eve of the Hereford game.

He said: “I’m a Tottenham fan, he’s an absolutely legend and someone like that phoning me up on a Friday morning wishing me luck was great - a man of his calibre to do that for someone like myself, a non-league manager, is great and it sent a few shivers down my spine, I must admit.”

Kent League chairman Denise Richmond has paid tribute to the FA Cup heroes.

"Hythe's players, supporters and officials were a credit to their club, the league, our sponsors, and Kent football," she told www.kentleague.com.

"Even though they were 4-1 down at half-time, they defended well in the second half and the Hythe keeper made some tremendous saves.

"I'm sure they have all enjoyed the day and the experience of playing at a League 2 club, and as a league we are very proud of them and what they have achieved."

It’s back to normal on Saturday, taking to the Oakwood pitch in front of a crowd of 70 (based on VCD's average gates).

Hythe were stunned by VCD Athletic on the opening day of the Kent League season going down to a 3-2 defeat on the same ground.

Striker Mickelborough, 24, is seeking revenge on that day, by booking Hythe’s place in the last 64.

“It will be a tough one, they’re a good team, but they’re the games we’ve got to win,” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“We played them in the first game of the season and we didn’t really know what to expect. We underestimate them in the first game a little bit. I think we were 3-1 down after the first half if I remember rightly so we didn’t help ourselves then, but we won’t make that mistake again.

“We’ll go out and make amends for that, get revenge as they say.

“If we cab get as far as we can in the Vase it will be a bonus, but it probably won’t top playing here!”

Mickelborough and his team-mates can reflect on a remarkable day at Edgar Street and a two day hotel stay and plenty of national media attention during the past two weeks.

He said: “You want to win things as a player but I suppose you can’t really top playing at places like this. It doesn’t come round too often for most of us. It might be the only chance we get in our careers to play in a ground like that.

“If you ask the manager he’d say the objective at the start of the season was to win the league.”

Visit Hythe Town’s website: www.hythetownfc.co.uk

VCD Athletic v Hythe Town

FA Carlsberg Vase Second Round

Saturday 13th November 2010

Kick Off 3:00pm

At Oakwood, Old Road, Crayford, Kent DA1 4DN