Our FA Cup Heroes Look To Defy The Odds Yet Again

The Wood are on the south coast at Championship Bournemouth.

There quality across all competitions might have surprised a few.

None more so than their manager Luke Garrard.

As we head into the business end of the season, the Wood are full throttle in a tense Vanarama National League title race and only a handful of games away from an FA Trophy final at Wembley.

But the job at hand is Bournemouth on Sunday evening. Garrard reckons they are more than prepared.

“I’ll be honest, did I envisage we would still be in the FA Cup, FA Trophy and where we are in the National League into February? Possibly not!” he said.

“It’s just been such a positive season - it’s a credit to the squad, the staff and the club really.

“This is massive for us, this community have bought into what we are doing - and it’s fantastic that we’re going to have such great backing on Sunday.

“The football club is beginning to establish itself and it’s exciting. The FA Cup run brings a spotlight - people are seeing what we’ve got to offer, on and off the pitch.

“We’re going there to win it. We have a plan A, B, C and D - we do have a free hit I suppose, but we have to play at our maximum.

Scott Parker’s well-drilled Cherries have promotion ambitions of their own.

Three points off the summit of the Championship, they can almost smell the bright lights of the Premier League.

But everyone has an off day in them, Garrard reckons.

“It’s 11 against 11, and they need to have an off day. But if we can do something, then we can carry no passengers.

“But we rarely do. These players have been unbelievable.”