Tattingstone 'highly confident' of upset
TATTINGSTONE United are ‘highly confident’ of causing an upset and reaching this season’s CNet Training Suffolk Senior Cup Final, according to manager James Parker.
The village side face Division One North Thurlow Nunn League Whitton United in the semi-finals on Friday at the Martello Ground, home of Felixstowe & Walton United, kick-off 7.45pm.
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Tattingstone play a level lower than their opponents and have reached the last four for the first time in only their second season after winning promotion to the Senior Division of the Gateway 14 SIL.
Parker is in no doubt that his side are the underdogs going into the tie, but said they thrive on such situations.
He said: “We are the underdogs; they are representing their whole league, which is one step higher than ours, but they will feel the pressure of representing their league.
“Let’s not forget, five-to-ten years ago we wouldn’t have been able to play against them or a team of their calibre as we were in Divisions Two, Three and Four of the SIL, but being underdogs is where we thrive.
“We know the formation they normally play, we know their main threats, we know their top goal-scorers and we know their vulnerabilities. We have been watching them all season, not just since the draw was made.”
Parker is not fazed by the fact that Whitton have a good Senior Cup pedigree and have won the competition six times in the past, most recently in the 2013-14 season.
“I wouldn’t say they have an advantage but like I said before, we are the underdogs that are highly confident of causing an upset.”
Having said that, Parker stated that his side are not getting ahead of themselves and thinking of the final.
“We won’t think about it until the semi-final job is done. But, of course, it will mean a lot to us. We’re a little village team, a bunch of friends, some of us family, that enjoy playing football together with the will to succeed,” he said.
Tattingstone won the Morrison Freight Cup (the SIL League Cup) last season, which Parker said will stand them in good stead on Friday.
Parker, who said he should have a full squad to select from, added: “We do have recent experience in these sorts of games and channelling any pressure into positive performances and a positive result is the aim.”
Ashley Blow, (not in photograph) beats Debenham LC goalkeeper Josh Hender to score Tattingstone United’s second goal in their 3-0 win in last season’s Morrison Freight Cup Final. Photograph: Paul Voller
