Unfancied Three Bridges on verge of upsetting favourites.
Three Bridges v Gresley
The FA Carlsberg Vase
Fourth Round Proper Replay
3pm, Saturday 28 January 2012
Jubilee Fields, Three Bridges FC
Click here for fixtures
Three Bridges, a Sussex County Football League Division One club managed by a hair salon owner, are on the verge of cutting out one of the favourites for this year's FA Vase.
Three Bridges manager Paul Faili says he has a strong management team around him , but also admits to a number of superstitions which may well have contributed to his side's surprise 1-1 draw at Gresley when the sides first met last weekend.
Faili revealed: "I never read a programme before a game and I always ensure that I'm clean shaven before a game. You know what footballers are like, we're all a little bit odd to say the least!"
The Crawley-based club currently sit fifth in their league and were on an unbeaten run of 23 games in all competitions until a makeshift side lost 6-1 away to East Preston in the Brighton Charity Cup on Tuesday night.
On a more serious note, Faili attributes Three Bridges' success to the "incredible" bond shared by his "brotherhood" of "Crawley boys" and "a phenomenal management team that I've got wrapped around me" which includes assistant manager Keith George, chief scout Scott Howes, coach John Yems and a physiotherapist they call Princess Goodwin because "she is [a princess] to a lot of people."
Faili is also pleased to hear that Gresley's regional newspaper, the Burton Mail, praised Three Bridges for "being a good footballing side" following Saturday's draw.
And the hair-salon-owner-manager promises to continue playing a style of football as clean and attractive as his facial appearance - with cut-price tickets thrown in for good measure.
He explained: "It's all we know, we don't know how to defend if I'm to be honest with you.
"We're in a recession right now, so we're looking at people coming and watching some football for £5 or £6. I ain't gonna be dull, I'm gonna be fun and we're gonna be exciting."
Three Bridges' opponents Gresley won the competition in their previous incarnation as Gresley Rovers in 1991 and currently sit third in the Midland Football Alliance League.
