Goalkeeper Ryan Price has admitted preparation was the key to Chasetown FC’s latest FA Trophy scalp.
A 3-1 win at Eastleigh saw the Scholars through to the quarter-finals of the competition and just two rounds away from a Wembley final.
Manager Charlie Blakemore had clearly done his homework on the Spitfires and their aerial game.
And his own side had the element of surprise as Eastleigh did not see the Scholars in action ahead of their clash – a mistake Price believes proved costly for them. He explained:
“I think we prepared just right again. The gaffer and his assistant Andy Turner did their homework on them so we knew everything about them. I also think they showed us a little bit of a lack of respect by not having us watched.
“The key to the game was the first half. The wind was so strong that they penned us in a little bit, but the back four was awesome for me. Then we took our chance when we had it with a great finish from Richard Davies.”
Despite going into the break at half-time, the nerves were certainly jangling among the travelling Chasetown support when Eastleigh netted an equaliser early in the second period.
But Price believes the Scholars knew they could re-establish their advantage thanks to the never-say-die attitude and cup upset mentality boss Blakemore has created in his squad. He said:
“I always felt we would score again with the pace we have in the team, so to go ahead again after they scored was huge as they had to leave gaps for us to exploit.
“As a team we hate to lose and the further you go in a competition like this the harder it is to deal with a defeat and the lads just don’t want to have to deal with it.
“We’ve always had fantastic spirit at the club and Saturday, when we came out and saw and heard all that support we had, it just fired us up even more and made it easier to concentrate.”
As the jubilant Scholars squad headed for the dressing room on Saturday they will no doubt have heard their away support singing about a potential trip to Wembley.
And while the players are still determined to focus on the next game, Price admits Chasetown now have every chance of doing the unthinkable as they head into the last eight. He added:
“All through this run I’ve said that you can never say never with Chasetown. It’s been a massive fairytale and a unbelievable achievement. Yes, we need that bit of luck, but it’s great to be the underdog and it’l; take a team to be dead on their feet to beat us as we never give up.
“Regardless of what happens, we’ve all got special memories to savour forever – and Saturday was the best yet.”
Chasetown will find out their quarter-final fate when the draw is made later today (February 7).
