Sporting Khalsa boss Ian Rowe is under no illusions as to the magnitude of the challenge facing his side in their Buildbase FA Vase fifth round tie at Ely City.
Ely qualified for this stage by cruising past Shepshed Dynamo in round four, their 3-0 victory in stark contrast to the 1-0 loss Khalsa suffered at the hands of Dynamo back in November.
Rowe has taken the opportunity to go and check out the Robins, and admits he has been impressed by what he has seen.
“I’ve been down to see them and we know we are in for a tough game,” he said.
“They lost 1-0 in the game I saw them play but they look a very good side.
“They beat a team in the last round (Shepshed) 3-0, and they had beaten us 1-0 a few weeks ago, so we know if we aren’t on our game we’ll pay for it.
“From what I saw they have three or four players who I would consider to be really strong, and in particular (striker) Kelvin Enaro looks a really technically sound player.
“We’ll be on the road and we know it’s going to be a big crowd, they had 400 in the last round and it will probably be about 500 this time with 99 per cent cheering them on. We’ll have to be ready for that.”
Khalsa reached this stage with victory over Tring Athletic, but have been down to the bare bones over the festive period due to injury.
Those players are starting to return, including defender Carlo Franco – who has spent eight weeks in a walking boot since the FA Vase third round replay with Sleaford, when he played with a broken toe.
And while Rowe is delighted to have a nearly full deck to choose from, he admits it brings challenges of its own.
“Carlo Franco made his comeback in midweek after eight weeks out and it was good to see him back,” Rowe added.
“We’ve not played many games at all recently because of the weather but it does mean a lot of players are back from injury.
“We’ll be taking 22 down on the coach on Friday evening so deciding on the team won’t be easy. But I’d rather that than have the injuries we’d had before.
“It will be a good opportunity for us to bond on the Friday and then have breakfast on Saturday morning before the game. We’ll give it everything and, god willing, there will be another match for us in the competition.”
FA Vase history
This has been an historic season for Sporting Khalsa, whose previous best effort was reaching the first round last year.
Ely City are also in the fifth round for the first time, having bettered their run of 2012-13 when they were knocked out in the fourth round by Spalding United.
One to watch
Goalkeeper Tom Turner arrived at Khalsa from Tividale in the summer and has quickly settled in at the Aspray Arena.
He has played a key role in them reaching the last 16, including some crucial saves in the win over Tring in the last round.
Did you know?
Sporting Khalsa might be in the fifth round for the first time but manager Ian Rowe has enjoyed plenty of FA Vase success.
With former club Gornal Athletic he reached the quarter-finals before losing out to eventual winners Spennymoor in 2013.
The prize
A place in Monday’s quarter-final draw, and a cheque for £1,875, awaits the winner.
Non-League Finals Day
The final of The Buildbase FA Vase forms part of Non-League Finals Day, which takes place at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 21 May. Tickets are now on sale from ticketing.thefa.com priced at just £12.50 for adults and £1 for children.
