Unofficial Halesowen Town FC Forum

As we head into this weekend's FA Cup Qualifying tie at Bedworth Utd, what's the general opinion on prioritising this season? Would you forsake a decent cup run if it meant we were solely focussed on a return to Step 3 or perhaps claim a few scalps in the FA Cup and generate some numbers through the door at the Grove? It would be great to have both but should our focus be on the league?

Obviously the ideal situation is to have both, and now we have a manager who is switched on and a consistent squad of quality players, there is absolutely no reason why we can't have a good cup run and remain competitive in the league.

IF pushed, getting out this league is imperative. We cannot remain at this shambolic level.

AwayDayYeltz wrote: ↑

22 Aug 2019, 14:21

Obviously the ideal situation is to have both, and now we have a manager who is switched on and a consistent squad of quality players, there is absolutely no reason why we can't have a good cup run and remain competitive in the league.

IF pushed, getting out this league is imperative. We cannot remain at this shambolic level.

I’d agree with this. A club like Halesowen shouldn’t be at be at the level we’re at. Obviously we are thanks to previous mismanagement, which isn’t a criticism - what’s done is done and we have to accept that but we need to do everything possible now to get out at the first attempt. We now have the right manager, owners and all the fans are now united and are pulling in the same direction.

That said, we are long overdue a decent cup run too. I’d have faith in the players who haven’t featured in the side for the two games so far to come in and do a job if called upon at the weekend.

A cup run would generate more support who may hopefully come again and it would bring in some cash, which would alleviate a bit of the strain on Karen and Keith's purse strings! Aside from that ( and it's a big that ) all I want is promotion. 1st or 2nd round of the FA Cup at the end of the season means nothing.

PS don't put all your hopes on a cup run coming to anything exciting. After watching 7 consecutive 1st round appearances in the 80/90s against Brentford, Cardiff, Tranmere to name a few we then had to wait over a decade for the next one. 2004 I think. We wait with baited breath for the draw to come out. Yeading away. What a dross tie. And we lose to a debatable penalty.

The official answer, as anyone who's ever played Football Manager will know, is that the "league is the priority".

In non-league though, the prize money from the Cup is huge now, and so it's all eggs in that basket until you get knocked out.

Put it like this, if Paul Smith could only win one game from our two trips to Bedworth, it'll be tomorrow.

I'll take a draw and a win preferably in that order from the weekend.

Seamus wrote: ↑

23 Aug 2019, 10:51

I'll take a draw and a win preferably in that order from the weekend.

If we draw tomorrow I believe the replay will be Monday. So there will be no league game.

A cup run would be fantastic, I think it would be a good way to keep the squad happy and would certainly help our home attendances to get bigger and bigger.

andy wrote: ↑

23 Aug 2019, 11:32

Seamus wrote: ↑

23 Aug 2019, 10:51

I'll take a draw and a win preferably in that order from the weekend.

If we draw tomorrow I believe the replay will be Monday. So there will be no league game.

That was my implication.