Shawbury United will have a better idea of what to expect from Concord Rangers when they travel to Essex in the fourth round of the FA Vase next month after one of their players travelled south on a festive scouting mission.
As excitement begins to mount ahead of the biggest game in Shawbury’s history, defender Marc Stallard volunteered to travel to Canvey Island to run the rule over Concord on Boxing Day.
He reported his findings back to manager Delwyn Humphreys and his assistant Ben Coates with the research set to play an important part in Shawbury’s plans for the last 32 tie in the prestigious nationwide competition which boasts a Wembley final.
“Marc went down to watch Concord with his dad,” revealed boss Humphreys. “It took them four and a half hours to get there and he told me Concord are a big physical side.
“He said they are very good going forward but defensively they can be got at. They actually lost the game he watched 1-0 at home and then also only drew 1-1 on Saturday so hopefully they might be having a difficult spell.”
Humphreys said he was concentrating on the other games Shawbury have to play before fully turning his attention to the Vase showdown.
But he said plans were already in place to ensure Shawbury are well prepared for their showpiece clash, with the players looking forward to the rare luxury of an overnight stay in Basildon. “We’ve got one or two sponsorships in place,” he said. “We’ll be staying over the night before and the lads are also probably going to fund it themselves to also stay over the night of the game.”
Shawbury, meanwhile, have pulled off a transfer coup by snapping up former Hednesford Town winger Dominic Heath.
The winger made his debut for the club in last weekend’s 3-0 victory over Shropshire rivals Ludlow Town in the West Midland League premier division.
“He played the first seven or eight games of the season for Hednesford in the Unibond League but hasn’t played for the last five or six weeks,” said Humphreys. “He just wants to start enjoying his football again.”