After a thrilling win at Sittingbourne in their opening game of the season, Cray Valley PM start their Emirates FA Cup campaign this weekend with a trip to Medway to face a Lordswood side looking for an early scalp. 

Boss Steve McKimm was under no illusions about what his side faces at Martyn Grove on Saturday telling KSN, “Obviously happy to get the three points on opening day which gives us some positive momentum going into our second competitive game.”

“Lordswood I believe have had three or four already and are not going to be easy so we’ll go there as we would do for a League game, as you’ve got to prepare properly for any type of game, because there’s always something riding on it whether it be League points or as in the case this week, progress into the next round of the Cup. You don’t leave any stone unturned!” 

“I felt we were very good at Sittingbourne in the first half without taking the chances that we did create. I felt that we got a fortuitous goal (as their second goal was) in the second half and should have been three-nil ahead straight after.”

“We then decided to do what we’ve done on a few occasions already and go back to old and put ourselves under pressure.”

“We were definitely the making of our own downfall second half as that game should have been a lot more comfortable than it was if we’d stuck to the game plan we used and stuck to in the first half!” 

“This is a new side still with some existing players from last year and new ones that have been brought in – we haven’t changed the way that we want to play.”

“Ideally, we want to get the ball wide and get the ball into the box as we’ve pace down the flanks. We’ve got good technical players in the middle of the park which showed on Saturday – they weren’t at it in the first half as we didn’t allow them to get at it.”

“We will get better and stronger as the season goes on, and bearing in mind it was our first competitive game and Sittingbourne had had two tough Cup ties against Jersey – Lordswood have had three – and the more that this group play together the more cohesion and things will work more smoothly, I’m sure.” 

“We would have loved a home tie – doesn’t everyone – but we’ve got to go with the hand we’ve been dealt.”

“I don’t know much about their ground, but I have had them watched and know a lot about them – it’s a case that they’re a good young vibrant side who never give up as proved when they came back from 3-1 down at Whitstable to draw 3-3.” 

“We have to go there with a game plan, with an understanding that there is a Cup upset on the cards and we don’t want to be part of one of the upsets that there will be this weekend.”