Shropshire Star

Non-league previews: Whitchurch Alport refusing to discuss prospect of Wembley

Whitchurch Alport manager Adam Shillcock hasn’t discussed Wembley with his players yet, as he keeps them grounded ahead of their FA Vase quarter-final on Saturday (3pm), writes Dan Hickey.

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They play Whitstable Town away, travelling more than 250 miles, with hopes of making history for the club, as this run equals the furthest Alport have ever gone in the competition.

Alport are awaiting fitness test results for Ollie Holden and Lewis Bloor, who have both been out for more than eight weeks, while captain Craig Pritchard will miss the knockout game after a red card in the loss to AFC Wulfrunians.

Shillcock said: “We haven't even mentioned (Wembley) in any kind of conversation. In all honesty, I think we don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves.

“The lads will be aware that as a football club, no group before them has ever achieved getting past this round.

“But I won't be using that as a motivational talk. They should already know enough about the football club before they got involved in it, to know that the quarter-final was the best that we've ever achieved."

He added: “We need to go as far as we can, and that will better any previous – minor successes, shall we call it?

“Because unless you win, it's not a success, in my eyes and my staff's eyes. So just focus on the task ahead, obviously it's a big one.

“The challenge is: Can we get on the road again somewhere even deeper in the country, against an opposition that we don't know, on a surface that we don't play on and pull out another results similar to North Shields?”

Despite an unbeaten run which stretched from November to February, Alport have struggled in the last week, losing to both Wulfrunians and 1874 Northwich, before their midweek fixture against Stone Old Alleynians was postponed.

Shillcock explained: “When we just got to Wulfs in that Midland League Cup semi-final, we just ran out of steam.

“We looked tired. We looked both mentally and physically fatigued. And there's about seven or eight of them, which are having to be, you know, strapped up and they've not been able to recover from any niggles and knocks that they've had.

“So, like I said, when you think about Tuesday playing in Stone, which would have been a tough task in itself, that little bit of recovery might just pay dividends in the short term.”

In Midland League Division One, AFC Bridgnorth are eight points above the relegation zone but still pushing as they travel to Coventry Copsewood.

Allscott Heath are three points adrift of safety in North West Counties Division One South ahead of hosting Alsager Town, while Shawbury United are at the foot the table ahead of playing Barnton.

Market Drayton Town are at home in their mid-table clash with Ashville, as are Ludlow Town when they play Bewdley Town in the Hellenic League Marsh Cup fourth round.

Telford Town can go 15 points clear at the top of the West Midlands League Premier Division as they host Stourbridge Standard.