It’s non-League Quarter Final weekend with Steve King and his Deal Town side facing a near 450-mile round trip in the Isuzu FA Vase to face a last eight meeting with Lincoln United with a semi-final place awaiting the winners. 

Deal head North on Friday and will go into the game having lost just once in any football since October and on the back of successive 3-0 away wins that have taken the Hoops to within five points of SCEFL leaders Glebe still with six games in hand. 

Ahead of travelling North, King spoke to KSN about the prospect of reaching the last four for the first time since Tommy Sampson’s side won the trophy itself back in 2000. 

“We’re very pleased with the week that we’ve had,” King told us. “It was disappointing to go out of the League Cup last week to Erith, but it might end up being a blessing in disguise given the number of games we have to play, but it was the first game of football that we’ve lost since Snodland beat us in October.” 

“We had two away games and with the possible distraction of the Vase, to get two 3-0 wins away from home, six points and two clean sheets puts us in a really good place, and I’m absolutely delighted ahead of the weekend.” 

“It wasn’t ideal to have had to play the two games before Lincoln, but we have to get these games played and we’ve managed to come through unscathed and to be honest, Lincoln are in the same boat as us – they’re still in four competitions in their League – they played a big league game Saturday and Tuesday, so I don’t think that it will be a disadvantage to us having to play those games and it certainly gives us some momentum; confidence is very high and all of the squad are contributing which is really nice to see – we’re not just a team of eleven at the minute, we are a squad of twenty!”

“Everyone is contributing which puts us in a real good place ahead of a massive weekend.” 

Lincoln United currently sit second in the Premier Division North of the Uhlsport United Counties League ten points behind leaders Sherwood Colliery, and the Deal boss has left nothing to chance as he explained, “We have done a lot of work. We have had someone watch their last three games – three different people have gone to see them for me to get three different opinions.”

“They are a strong side flying high in their League; they were relegated from Step Four last year after being there for quite a while.”

“They are still in four competitions so clearly are a strong side, but their recent form has taken a bit of a downturn however.”

“They did win nineteen games on the bounce earlier in the season, but they have struggled a little bit over the last couple of weeks since their last Vase win, but they will be formidable opponents…” 

“But we are playing in the Quarter Final of the Vase so when however, many teams started – nearly six hundred entered – if you get to this stage you are going to be a very strong side. We have done our homework; we know exactly what to expect and we are looking forward to it!”