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Non-league preview: Northern Star have the class to earn more Vase glory
SPORT: Non league, Northern Star v Armthorpe Welfare in the FA Vase. Chris Plummer
Northern Star chief Chris Plummer has been bitten by the FA Vase bug.
Plummer has himself played in the Premier League and enjoyed a long professional career, but he insists he is genuinely excited by the biggest match in the city club’s short history.
Star travel to Midland Alliance side Tividale for a fifth round tie tomorrow delayed a week by the recent bad weather - and Plummer is convinced his team have the class to continue a spectacular first crack at the Vase.
Plummer said: “I was lucky to have a nice career in the game but you should never think about where you have played or managed in the past.
“You need to be excited by the challenge you face at the current moment in time - and I’m certainly excited about tomorrow’s game.
“It’s a huge occasion for the club and I’m ever so proud of the lads for getting this far. I feel sure that we are capable of beating any team at our level on a good day.
“We have proved time and again this season that we are capable of producing great performances, but we are well aware of the fact we have had a couple of bad days too and we can’t afford for tomorrow to be one of those.”
Star have little knowledge of their opponents. Plummer’s attempts to watch Tividale in action ahead of tomorrow’s clash have been foiled by the recent bad weather.
But Star have already beaten a team from Midland Alliance Division One - Boldmere St Michaels - during their Vase adventure and have high hopes of another success in that part of the world tomorrow.
Plummer said: “It would have been good to have a look at Tividale to at least be aware of any threats they pose, but we’re going into it a bit blind.
“We don’t tend to change our style of play too much anyway so it’s not a massive issue. We just concentrate on our own game and are confident we can come out on top if we play to the level we know we can.”
Unlike Star, Tividale have the benefit of a recent match under their belts although they were beaten 3-0 in midweek by Stratford Town.
It was their worst performance of the season according to the club’s official website. Tividale, who won the West Midlands League Premier Division and cup double last season, dumped Spalding out in an earlier Vase round.
It’s a big few days of cup football for Star. The Vase clash is followed by a UCL League Cup quarter-final against S & L Corby on Tuesday.
Star have signed from Blackstones and St Neots attacker Kieran Davies. He is not eligible tomorrow.
WISBECH boss Steve Appleby admits he does not expect striker Liam Nimmo to return this season.
Nimmo has not appeared for the Fenmen since December due to work commitments but Appleby hopes it doesn’t spell the end of his Wisbech career.
Appleby admitted: “I’ve chased him up a few times and told him to let me know if and when he can return, but there comes a time when you have to call it quits.
“I think we’ve probably seen the last of him for this season but I know Liam and his family well and I always leave the door open for a player.”
Defender Paul Cousins will make his return as Wisbech go to Great Yarmouth tomorrow in the Ridgeons Premier Division. Fellow centre-back Anthony Reeve is banned.
Wisbech are mourning the loss of a star from yesteryear. Malcolm Devitt, who shone for the club in the 1960s, died after suffering brain injuries in a fall from a ladder at one of his properties in Cyprus. He was 74.
HOLBEACH are out to follow up one derby success with another.
The Tigers eased into the semi-finals of the United Counties League Cup semi-finals with a midweek triumph over Deeping Rangers.
Tomorrow they turn their attention back to Premier Division action when making the short trip to relegation battlers Yaxley.
Manager John Chand said: “I was very pleased with our return to action on Wednesday and we’ll be looking to kick on in the league tomorrow.”
Chand says he has an agreement with striker Ollie Ryan to play for the Tigers ‘when needed’. Ryan scored a debut goal against Deeping.
Midfielders Wes Lewis and Paul Goodhand return for the Tigers tomorrow while Matt Warfield and Mitch Griffiths are injury concerns.
Elsewhere Blackstones hit the road for Daventry United while Deeping go to Wellingborough.
Promotion chasers Huntingdon are at Olney in Division One while Bourne head to Raunds.
March continue their Ridgeons First Division promotion push at Cambridge University Press.
The Hares have signed defender Tony Brown but Marc Welcher begins a three-match ban.
PAT Rayment owes Newport Pagnell one.
The Spalding boss has bad memories of his brushes against those opponents while Deeping manager. He’ll be hoping for better when Pagnell visit the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field tomorrow.
“I lost 6-1 to them twice and they were not enjoyable days,” recalled Rayment. “They were definitely my bogey team.
“Pagnell get results by playing a certain way and they are always up in the top few places, so we know it will be a tough game.”
Spalding edged out Swineshead Institute 2-1 in a midweek friendly that Rayment described as a ‘good workout’.
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Weather for Peterborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
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theposh60
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 03:06 PMAll the very best to Chris Plummers' boys tomorrow against a very useful Tividale side. The reward is a last eight home tie. Will be there to support you, again
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