Home draw is the prize for U-18s

Nick Garnham

By Nick Garnham

SUFFOLK have been handed a home draw all the way through to the final of this season's FA County Youth Cup.

Manager Andy Gould admitted that it was a “massive carrot” being dangled in front of Suffolk's Under-18 side in their bid to retain the trophy.

However, Gould stressed the importance of concentrating on one game at a time, starting with tomorrow's re-arranged third round tie away to Worcestershire at Bromsgrove Rovers' ground, kick-off 3pm.

This will be the fourth attempt to play the tie, which has so far fallen victim to waterlogged and frozen pitches, and Gould feels the surface will play an important part in tomorrow's match.

“I expect the pitch to be a big factor. It will be a leveller and the team that shows the greatest desire will be the one that goes through,” he said.

“It will be a battle, but if we can come through we can look forward to the rest of the competition with optimism.

“We have a squad good enough to get us past Worcestershire and if we do we will be at home to the Isle of Man in the quarter-finals and after that we would be at home in both the semi-final and final.

“It is important we take it one game at a time, but it is a massive carrot in front of the squad with the opportunity to go on and replicate what we achieved last year.”

Suffolk will be without long-term injury victim Josh Mayhew and have also lost his fellow Woodbridge Town striker Josh Mayhew to a hamstring injury while Kirkley & Pakefield's James Bemment is unavailable and Leiston midfielder Danny Morphew is still recovering from injury.

Suffolk squad: Alex Steed, Elliot Hunter, Joe Boreham, Nick Pope (all Bury Town), Chris Gray (Stowmarket Town), Darryl Coakley (Cambridge Utd), Stefan Marsh, Ryan Clark (both Needham Market), David Kempson, Luke Ingram, Lewis Rhodes (all Woodbridge Town), Jack Severy (Melton St Audry's), Tarren Grint (Kirkley & Pakefield), Jemel Fox (Whitton Utd), Joe Bloomfield (Felixstowe & Walton Utd).