As much as the Old School non-league football establishment might try to rubbish ex- Billericay Town player and Essex Boy made millions Glenn Tamplin’s way of running his former club, only a fool could argue that his influence has not raised the profile of our league – The Bostik Premier Division – higher than it has ever been.
Such is the anticipation among the fans that the steel magnate and his formidable squad’s visit to Folkestone Invicta looks likely – reasonably decent weather permitting – to attract one of the Kent club’s biggest ‘gates’ of the season.
Our Forum-cum-Twitter fanatics were following last night’s Velocity Trophy semi-final between The Blues and Southern Division Corinthian Casuals as if their lives depended on it.
For the record Billericay came from behind to win 3-1 with new signing, from National League strugglers Guiseley, tall midfielder Liam Hughes (ex-Cambridge United and Inverness Caledonian Thistle) marking his debut with an excellent headed equaliser on the stroke of half-time before longer serving strikers Billy Bricknell and Adam Cunnington made sure of victory for the holders of what is the Isthmian League Cup.
(They thrashed Tonbridge Angels by no fewer than eight goals to three at Carshalton to lift the trophy last season).
A quick glance at the profiles of Bricknell and Cunnington shows that Tamplin and joint-manager Harry Wheeler have brought in plenty of seasoned ex-Football League and good non-league players along with the kind of big name past stars like the now, reportedly departed Jermaine Pennant along with ex-Spurs and Portsmouth midfielder Jamie O’Hara and one time Arsenal starlet Sanchez Watt.
Tamplin made the non-league headlines when he paid Hemel Hempsted Town a Billericay club record £24,000 for one-time Brighton youngster Jake Robinson who, with Cunnington and Folkestone’s Ade Yusuff, is well up in the Bostik Premier Division scorers this season.
But the goals have clearly been shared around and in all competitions – including several Essex county competitions – Tamplin’s men passed 100 for the season in December.
They won the league cup, as mentioned, but fell away in the league last season to finish eight.
But this time it has been a different story and though losing 2-0 at Leatherhead in a televised FA Cup tie, they have lost only twice in 27 league games – that 1-0 at home to unpredictable Kingstonian and then last weekend 3-1 at Leiston.
From the Suffolk side’s point of view that will have been the result of the day, though Folkestone’s own 5-0 victory over fellow play-off contenders Wingate & Finchley means a lot more in these parts.
Manager Neil Cugley says tomorrow’s clash seems like just another game for Invicta in many ways – but he will obviously hope that his side respond to the challenge of taking on a side who have been in the top two of the Premier Division for more than 20 weeks already this season.
You won’t want to miss it!