With a game 329 miles away, you can forgive South Shields for taking an unorthodox mode of transport to their Buildbase FA Vase fifth round tie with Team Solent this weekend.
Graham Fenton’s side normally take a team bus to games, but with the amateur side needing to make their lengthy journey south the day before the match, they will instead hop on a plane from Newcastle to Southampton airport.
But Fenton, a former manager of league rivals North Shields who earned a League Cup winners medal as part of the 1993-94 Aston Villa squad, insists it will have no impact on their pre-match routine – rather adding an extra excitement to the last-16 clash.
“Because flying to a game is not something the boys do every week then it adds to the occasion,” he revealed.
“So instead of getting a bus down we’re flying, and it’s actually better because if we had the bus then people would have to take time off work.
“So there are pluses with it, and it just adds to the occasion but doesn’t really change our pre-match plan.”
South Shields are currently the bookies' favourites to lift The FA Vase at Wembley after knocking out last season’s champions Morpeth Town in the fourth round.
That 4-0 victory clearly caught the eye of onlookers, but Fenton claims he is ignoring what the odds are saying, and focusing instead on his side’s fine form.
The Mariners currently sit second in Ebac Northern League Division One, behind only bitter rivals North Shields, while opponents Team Solent are currently sixth in the Wessex League Premier Division.
And Fenton said his players are in a buoyant mood ahead of their marathon trip to the south coast.
“We seem to be dealing okay with the pressure, but I don’t look at the odds,” he added. “The boys and everyone at the club have got to deal with that sort of pressure anyway.
“Huge things are expected from the football club and the players are dealing with it really well at the moment.
“By the time you get to this stage, everyone left in the competition will be dreaming of a trip to Wembley as there’s only 16 clubs left.
“It gets exciting from this stage onwards. Everyone is hugely excited for Saturday, and hopefully we will be in the hat for Monday’s draw.”
Buildbase FA Vase history
South Shields have never won The FA Vase, but beat last year’s vanquishers – Morpeth Town, who went on to win the competition – in the fourth round.
The furthest the Mariners have ever gone in the competition was in 1975-76, when they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Friar Lane Old Boys – meaning a win over Team Solent would equal their best run.
For their part, Team Solent have only been competing in The FA Vase for five years, with their previous best performance being a first round proper loss to Cadbury Heath last season.
One to watch
It’s hard to look at anyone other than former Sunderland and Middlesbrough man Julio Arca, but with 17 goals from 29 appearances this season, striker Carl Finnigan is South Shields’ top goalscorer in the league. He has competition, though, with Gavin Cogdon and David Foley both on 13 – proving that Fenton’s troops are not a one-man team.
Did you know?
Founded in 2005, Team Solent are still only the third-youngest club left in the competition, with Bromsgrove Sporting formed in 2009, and Hinckley AFC the newest club having been created in just 2014. The club is attached to Southampton Solent University and was a founder member of the Hampshire Premier League.
The prize
A place in the quarter finals, and a cheque for £1,875, awaits the winner.
The draw for the sixth round will take place on Monday morning and will be streamed live via the @FA Twitter account from 10.30am.
