DARREN BYFIELD revealed he knows just how much a successful run in the FA Cup means to the players and fans of Redditch United as his side prepare to visit Coalville Town in the first qualifying round on Saturday.
The Reds have been on the end of several disappointing early exits in recent seasons and the United boss has been reminded of this on more than one occasion since taking the reins at the Valley Stadium.
Victory in Leicestershire would mean a lot to everybody connected with the club as well as boosting United’s coffers to the tune of £3,000.
“The FA Cup is massive to non-League clubs and I’ve heard plenty about our poor recent record since walking through the door!” said Byfield.
“Make no mistake about it, our boys will be fired up and determined to win on Saturday and hopefully progress further too.
“This has always been a special competition for supporters and the lads know what it means to our fans. However, I can’t ask any more of the lads than I have been doing for any other game, because they’ve given everything for me so far.”
Byfield’s side returned to winning ways in the Southern League Premier Division on Saturday with a 2-1 success at Kings Langley thanks to second half goals from Eli Bako and Reece Hales and then secured a 1-0 triumph at Banbury United on Monday thanks to a 62nd-minute strike from Jazz Luckie.
Byfield was full of praise for his side’s endeavours over the Bank Holiday period.
“The fitness levels we showed to dig out those wins really proved that our hard work in pre-season has paid off and it’s nice to get that reward,” added Byfield, who is still hoping to sign a “key” player he has been chasing since the start of the season.
“We’ve got a stronger squad now than a few weeks earlier and having Clayton McDonald and Jordan Jones back in defence has been a big help. They are key to what we are trying to achieve.
“To have four wins from seven matches, which have effectively all been away games due to not playing at the Valley, is an excellent platform for us to build on and we can’t wait to play that first league game at the Valley against Slough Town a week on Saturday.”
Redditch, who have a fully fit squad to select from now Max Loveridge has recovered from a knock to the leg, will make their first appearance of the season at the Valley on Tuesday should their FA Cup tie require a replay.
