Ampthill Town will make club and league history when they line up against Oadby Town in the FA Vase fourth round for the first time on Saturday and chairman Bernie Stuttard thinks fate may have played its part.
In the summer the club fell foul of new rules of entry into the more illustrious FA Cup after the Town supremo had enticed former Padbury United manager Craig Bicknell to the club with the promise of guiding a side in the early stages of the most famous national knock-out competition in the world.
Though he admits it was a blow at the time, Stuttard believes their progression in the Vase thus far – which no other South Midlands League Division One side has achieved – has perhaps been a blessing in disguise.
“There was a lot of disappointment at the start of the season because this club had always been in the FA Cup,” he explained. “We applied again this season but we got rejected.
"It wasn’t said to us before we put our entry in that there is a new structure in place where only the top six clubs from each division can apply. I sold the job to Craig that he’d manage in the FA Cup, so it was a great disappointment on my behalf as he’s not done that before.
"But when you look back at it now and think we are in the fourth round of the Vase and have made club history, then maybe it was meant to be.”
Town have already played five games in four earlier rounds of the Vase, having had to bring Barkingside back to Bedfordshire for a second qualifying round replay.
Ampthill are currently in the midst of a promotion challenge, occupying a lofty second place in the league, and before their 3-1 midweek win over Buckingham Athletic, they were presented with the league’s Team of the Month award for the second time this term.
Stuttard, however, is amazed at the strides the club has made this season and couldn’t be happier with life on Woburn Street.
He said: “One of the first goals I set Craig was to get to the third round, so he’s exceeded that.
“When we walk out at Oadby next weekend, we will have made history.
We’ve got to be realistic. We’ve excelled to get where we are and anything from here on in is a bonus and everyone needs to enjoy it.
“I won’t put pressure on people and say, ‘you must go and win that match’, but it would be nice to be in the draw on January 24 and know that we are in the fifth round.
“There’s a coach going to Oadby and a few are going on the train so it would be nice to see a few people from the town coming to cheer the guys on.”
