Whitley Bay seek revenge over Lowestoft Town in Semi-Final.
Whitley Bay v Lowestoft Town
The FA Carlsberg Vase
Semi-Final first leg
3pm, Saturday 28 March 2009
Hillheads Park, Whitley Bay FC
Winners will receive £7,000 from The FA
Click here for the full Semi-Final line-up
Revenge is often a dish best served cold, but Ian Chandler hopes that the Whitley Bay crowd can create a sizzling atmosphere on Saturday, as Hillheads Park plays host to the first half of a repeat of last season's FA Vase Semi-Final. Lowestoft Town, who dumped Bay out of the competition with a dramatic 4-3 win at the same stage last year, are seeking back-to-back Final berths.
However, Whitley Bay manager Chandler expects a vociferous crowd to help his team secure a vital first leg victory.
"I think Lowestoft get attendances of around 500 for their home League games, so they will be used to that sort of figure, but hopefully our fans can turn up in full force and shock them," he said.
"Tickets are selling really well. There are no Newcastle or Sunderland games, so we are hoping for a monster crowd, well over 2,000 and maybe even pushing towards 3,000.
"It is the biggest game in the north-east this weekend. They can play a big part, because I think Lowestoft were a bit shocked last year by the fact we managed to get so many when we were 4-0 down from the first leg."
Disappointment still resonates in Chandler's voice when he reflects on what might have been back in 2008. Bay were put to the sword at Lowestoft, but plundered three goals in the opening 20 minutes of the second leg - although it ultimately proved to be too little, too late.
Now, with Wembley again in sight, the Northern League Division One side are desperate to lay those ghosts to rest.
"We are definitely looking forward to it," Chandler explained. "The players were mad keen to play Lowestoft before the draw was even made. We wanted to play them at some point, so now is as good a time as any.
"Lowestoft are a very good team, but we let ourselves down in the first leg last year and I think there are players in our dressing room that want to put that right. In our mind the way we finished the second leg is what we will carry into this game.
"Of course, we wont be too cocky or too confident because they are flying high - we want to go about it in the right manner. But yes, revenge has been mentioned one or two times."
