EP eye a spot in the last 16 of FA Vase

EP host Eastern Counties League Premier Division side Brantham Athletic in the last 32 of the competition with a place in the fifth round at stake. The Lashmar side have never made it to this stage of the competition in their history and although excitement is building, Di Paola has warned the huge draw of a Wembley final is still miles away.

Di Paola has been brutally honest that winning County League Division 1 is his main aim this season, but admits the Vase is a welcome tonic and Saturday is a ‘winnable’ game.

He said: “I want to get this league won as last year it really did my head in. I am so desperate to win the league and I suppose it’s my sole focus.

“Don’t get me wrong, if we win on Saturday and then get through another round, I’ll start getting more excited.

“It’s a really nice tournament to be in and we want to do well. I have said 100 times you need so much luck to get to the final.

“When you start playing the northern sides they are so much better. It’s like us playing Lewes, it’s a big jump in standard. You could maybe see yourself beating them in a one off, but you’d have to beat them three times – there is a long way to go.”

Brantham, are mid-table in their league, having lost two of their last three matches, and this is their third successive away draw in the competition.

Di Paola said: “Over the last month they have had a lot of injuries so, fingers crossed, those boys will still be missing.

“On Saturday, though, three of their better players were back in the side. They have got something about them and are not a bad side, but it’s all about on the day, as I keep saying.

“It’s winnable as I do not think they are going to win the tournament. They are about the same strength as Rye, which was not an easy game by any means, but I think if we are on our game it’s winnable”.

EP are likely to be without the injured Fred Foreman, Billy Franks and Jordan Clark, as well as cup-tied Oli Lockyer, but captain Joe Shelley is set to return after missing their last two fixtures.

Any replay will take place a week on Saturday at Brantham, while, if postponed, EP will attempt to host the match again, also next Saturday.