It’s a massive Cup weekend with Sittingbourne hosting in the last eight of the FA Trophy, but Whitstable Town are also in the last eight of the FA Vase as they welcome Whitchurch Alport to the Belmont, and boss Jamie Coyle is relishing the chance to take the Oystermen into the last four. 

Coyle, who incidentally lists Sittingbourne amongst his former Clubs, spoke with KSN this week and started by talking about the ever-building excitement around the Belmont as Whitstable bid for a Vase Semi Final for the first time in their history! 

“It’s exciting times,” Coyle admitted. “It’s an opportunity on Saturday to go further than the Club has ever gone before and the tempo in training this week has been at a level that I have never seen before.”

“There is a really good feel around the place, and everyone is really excited about the game. We’re flying at the moment – we have picked up some decent results recently and everyone in the squad is on really good form and confidence is high.”

“So, in terms of morale around the place you cannot find it better. But we know that we are going to have to produce a really top performance on Saturday against a good side who we have had watched a couple of times – it’s going to be a tough one to crack but we can’t be going into the game with confidence any higher and on form. Really looking forward to the occasion…” 

“Whitchurch are a good side – a mixture of youth and experience in the team. They have lots of energy and movability and are a good well organised side.”

“Let’s face it, any team that gets through to the Quarter Finals of a national competition like this, you are going to have to make sure that the homework is done and you’re prepared correctly – we have left no stone unturned; we have seen them twice, we have seen what they do in and out of possession and it will be a very difficult game.”

“If we concentrate on ourselves whilst being aware of the treats that they pose, we will give it our best shot and see where it takes us!”

“They are a good side and have some very good individuals and are a team capable of changing their shape mid game, as they have done recently.”

“We have done everything right and am sure that if we do, we have the opportunity to create some opportunity historical for Whitstable Town Football Club.”

“We have been able to bolster our squad recently with some good players which has allowed me to rotate some of the squad which is something that I never really like doing as a manager as when you are on a good run of form, you really don’t want to unsettle everything.”

“But, it’s a testament to the quality and depth that we now have – we rested striker Harvey Smith last week and the same as Micky Dalton, who has arguably been one of our better players this season.”

“So, to be able to take out influential players out of the squad and still get some really good results really is testament to the really good quality that we have in the team.” 

“We still have a long way to go – we haven’t achieved anything yet. We’re in the Senior Trophy Final which is brilliant and something that we can look forward to towards the end of the season, but we still haven’t achieved anything – we are in a really good place and as I said, when the confidence is high you know that you can really achieve something.”

“It’s a really good place to be at the moment – we just have to keep our feet on the ground as form is brilliant, but we have still to achieve, but we are on the road to do that!” 

“I’m lucky enough to have experienced a lot as a player and a coach, but we have got a very young team. There are three or four boys in our team who have never played non-league football before this season – they have just come out of academies and are still learning their trade; they are only going to gain lots of experience from this season and develop as people.”

“With the mixture of the experience that we have, we are in a really good place – if we give a really good account of ourselves and deliver the performance that we have been recently, then we really are going to give ourselves a chance to get into the next round!”