Cobham 2, Badshot Lea 4

STEELY Badshot Lea continued their assault on silverware with a comfortable win in the FA Vase on Saturday.

The Baggies have lost just once in ten games in all competitions this season – a 3-1 league defeat at Sheerwater when midfielder Ashley Lloyd saw red.

But co-manager Dave Ford has warned against complacency in the wake of a routine 4-2 win at the Reg Madgwick Stadium against Cobham which set up a first round tie with Western League side Westbury United.

“I thought we did well collectively,” he said. “We carried on the way that we want to play and I thought it was quite a comfortable result. We had a couple of little errors – one in midfield and one from our keeper – but other than that the score didn’t reflect the way we played. It was a pleasing performance. We’ve just got to make sure we don’t get complacent and make sure our decision making is spot on.”

The Baggies, who gave a debut to 16-year-old Slough Town goalkeeper Nojus Trinovas in place of regular shotstopper Kallum Lunn, were good value for their win as goals from Reece Connolly, Zac Hawker, Nick Medcraft and Danilo Cadete continued their cup adventures – a fun journey which continues when Lea host Southern League Premier South side Hayes & Yeading in the FA Cup at Westfield Lane in the second qualifying round on Saturday.

“It will test us and show us where we are as a football club because they are sitting fifth two leagues higher than us, but if they come here and underestimate us they will find they will be in a game,” said Ford.

“We won’t change our policy of playing football. We want to play and try to hurt them in the areas that we think we can.”

Ford continued: “We’ve always said as management collectively that we would take one game at a time and see where we are at. We are ten games into the season now and we have lost once, and we lost a man in that game so we were down to ten men, so it’s hard to say if we would have lost that if we had a full side against Sheerwater.

“We just have to make sure we keep our feet on the ground and enjoy the football that we play, which I think has moved on leaps and bounds with Paul Harkness as our coach, because the players are all buying into how he sets up the training and how we keep the ball on a Saturday.”

And he added: “We look like an established side now. We have got togetherness and you only have to look in the changing room after a game like Cobham or South Park in the FA Cup. You would think we had won the cup, but it’s one game at a time and that starts again on Saturday against Hayes & Yeading.”

The likeable Ford cited a good blend of youth and experience as a big reason why the Baggies have made such a strong start to the season, singling out the impact former Havant & Waterlooville, Farnborough and Kingstonian forward Nic Ciardini in particular has had since joining the ranks at Westfield Lane.

“We’ve got a squad of young boys that have come through the Badshot Lea youth set up with me, and by bringing Nic Ciardini into the side, and Reece Connolly, it gives you players that have played two or three levels higher,” explained Ford.

“They’ve won leagues two or three levels higher and they are so good around the changing room. Nic is a breath of fresh air, helping with the youngsters on the training ground. He’s so professional and it really helps having someone like that around.”

And Ford is hoping that mix of youth and experience will help Lea continue their odyssey in the Combined Counties League, the FA Vase and, of course, the FA Cup.

“It’s the biggest cup competition and you want to be in that,” said Ford. “We are minnows in the FA Cup and how nice would it be to make history and beat Hayes & Yeading and move on into the next round – and that’s what we’re looking to do on Saturday, keep going and keep the winning streak going.”

Badshot Lea: Trinovas, Blake (Pound 72), Roberts, Hutchings, Flanaghan, Thripp, Cadete, Hawker (Matthews 67), Connolly (Williams 58), Ciardini, Medcraft.