It's a massive game for the club, says Erith Town boss Mark Tompkins

Tunbridge Wells, who were defeated 2-1 by Northern League side Spennymoor Town in the Wembley Final last May, welcome Hanworth Villa to Culverden Stadium, sitting at the summit of the Southern Counties East Football League table.

Manager Martin Larkin wants a similar crowd than the 1,242 fans that watched their 1-0 win over neighbours Crowborough Athletic in the last round last month.

“This is the Vase! The competition is special to the club and town and it brings the players and fans closer together, so we need you,” Larkin told www.tunbridgewellsfc.co.uk.

“The atmosphere at Culverden is great on FA Vase days, so please get yourself to the ground and support us again.

“To be in the Vase after Christmas is a massive achievement and if we can get through the game then we showed last year that anything can happen.”

Looking ahead to playing Hanworth Villa, who are in tenth-place in the Combined Counties League table, Larkin said: “Hanworth are a very good side. We have had them watched twice and they are a team that have played against opposition from our league in the last couple of years – both Herne Bay and Deal Town have played them.  They will be keen to come and beat us and progress, so we will need be at our very best.

“They play in a similar way to us in that they like to get the ball out wide so it should be a very attack minded game.”

But Larkin insisted he wants to continue their FA Vase adventure going into the New Year.

He said: “We’ve presented the facts on Hanworth and we’re developing and talking through the game plan, and then it is down to the players to deliver on Saturday.

“The Vase is their competition - they know what the prize is if we get it right, so we won’t need to motivate them for Saturday’s clash.”

Meanwhile, with the club sitting one point clear at the top of the table, chairman Clive Maynard admits work needs to be done to get Culverden Stadium up to Ryman League standard.

Mr Maynard said: “Promotion has been and remains the aim for this season although it is not going to be the end of the world if it doesn’t happen this year.

“The infrastructure of the club has to be right and yes we do have things to do to get the ground ready should we gain promotion.

“Harvey (Gifford, commercial manager) who has driven this project forward has worked so hard to ensure that everything is in place that needs to be. It sounds ridiculous but just try getting answers out of the Footballing bodies about what actually is required and what help is available – it is like getting blood out of a stone!

“The amount of hours that have been spent going down this route is incredible. However, we are on track. We have an agreement in principle from the Football Foundation for a grant to cover 50% of the cost for the fencing and new turnstiles. We are working on a tactical solution for the referee’s changing rooms, which will buy us time to incorporate the ultimate aim of replacing all of the changing rooms into the second phase of the Strategic Plan.

“We expect works to begin in January with competition by early February, subject to planning permission being granted in a timely manner.”

In second place in the table are Ashford United and Paul Chambers’ side welcome Tring Athletic to Homelands Stadium tomorrow.

Tring Athletic arrive in Kent sitting in fourteenth-place in the Spartan South Midlands League, with six wins and five draws from fifteen league games.

Ashford United go into the game in second place, having collected ten wins from their eleven games and are on an impressive thirteen match unbeaten run.

“Paul, myself and the players are really looking forward to the game,” said assistant manager John Ovard.

“I think it proves how far the team has come that we’ve got this far and want to go further.

“The players deserve all the credit because of the work they’ve put in. I do think they’ve matured together and we have a good team ethic.

“We are winning games this season that last year we’d have struggled in so for me it shows we are progressing as a group.

Erith Town are in third-place in the table (with 9 wins and 2 draws from their 14 games) and Mark Tompkins takes his side to play Norwich United.

Norwich United are in ninth-place in the Eastern Counties Premier League table, with 8 wins, 3 draws from 16 games and are 22 points adrift of leaders Hadleigh United.

“It’s a massive game for the club.  The players’ are right up for it,” said Tompkins.

“The club has never been in the last 32 so it’s another chance to break a club record.

“It won’t be an easy game but we’re going there to win.”

Beckenham Town, meanwhile, travel to Spartan South Midlands League leaders Ampthill Town.

Becks will attempt to book a place in Monday’s Fourth Round Draw. The club have made two recent appearances in the third round.

In 2009 they lost 3-2 at Tiptree United in a match marred by crowd trouble and the other was a far more memorable occasion in 2010 when Beckenham went down to a 2-1 home defeat to Kings Lynn Town in front of a crowd of over 400.

Beckenham have only progressed beyond the third round once in their long FA Vase history, which was 33 years ago when they lost 2-0 at Basildon United in 1980.

Manager Jason Huntley briefly told www.beckenhamtownfc.co.uk: “The most important we have played for a very, very long time.”

Lordswood boss Simon Halsey – who guided Herne Bay to The FA Vase Semi-Finals two years ago – takes his side to Hanwell Town tomorrow.

Lordswood are in sixth-place in the table – seven points behind leaders Tunbridge Wells – and Hanwell are in second place in the Spartan South Midlands League – four points adrift of the leaders.