Hornchurch manager Mark Stimson wants to give full credit to his players after pulling off a third consecutive FA Trophy upset to bag a spot in the last 16 of the competition.
The Urchins sealed a 3-0 penalty shoot-out victory over National League side King's Lynn Town following a 1-1 draw in normal time.
Kairo Mitchell opened the scoring but Liam Nash levelled the score early in the second half to take the game to penalties at Bridge Avenue.
“We had to work for it and certain players had to do probably a little more than you’d like them to do, but overall to go so far in this competition - especially with the situation we’re in regarding training and matches - is brilliant,” Stimson said.
“Full credit to all the players. I said to them just before the penalty shoot-out, whatever happens I'm proud of you. You’ve put on a great display and let’s just hopefully do one better than we did against Hampton when we got knocked out in that one.”
The Urchins went 1-0 down after 19 minutes against the run of play as Mitchell was picked out in the six-yard box by Sonny Carey. He nodded back across the goal and into the bottom left corner past shot-stopper Joe Wright.
“I thought we were very unfortunate to go 1-0 down to be honest, we were probably the better side before the goal. But credit to them, it was a great goal, great cross, and a great pull away from the striker and a great finish.
“But this team has got that desire to never give up, keep going, and with the amount of attacking players we’ve got on the pitch and also on the bench we knew that we would get a chance.
“We did get that and we took it. Great play by Ellis Brown who had to drop back at right-back unfortunately as our right-back was suspended. So that disrupted us a little bit, but he got down the line and crossed it, then Liam Nash showed all his qualities with a great left-foot volley.
“After that, Mr Joe Wright turned up, and he really performed amazingly well, and some of the saves he made were absolutely first class.
“He kept us in the game. We go to a penalty shoot-out, anything can happen and I said to my boys just be positive, don’t be clever, and go for it.
“We were and I'm not sure they were.”
The former Gillingham manager says it was a great game and it showed just how many good players are around the non-league circuit.
“I’ve been around non-league football for many years and it’s a good standard of football. There are players from our team, and especially from the opposition, that have played at a good level of football.
“These guys want to go out there and still perform, some of them - like I had to - have to realise their legs are going, but it’s about that self-pride.
“You don’t want to drop down and just make the numbers up, you want to drop down and be a player, and mine are certainly doing that.”
It has been an impressive run for the club which has seen them bag thousands in prize money with wins over Bowers & Pitsea, Wingate & Finchley, Tonbridge Angels, Dulwich Hamlet and King’s Lynn Town.
Stimson said: “Especially with the circumstances we’ve had, no training, and we’ve had two sessions this week with Tuesday night being half hour so it was basically nothing.
“To perform is a credit to the boys and to look after themselves away from the club as much as they can is brilliant.
“To beat two National League South sides and a National League side just shows the squad we’ve got here.
“I just hope I can keep them all until the next cup game. We’ve already lost three before this game, one to Dartford, one to Hemel Hempstead and one to Billericay Town.
“It is in three weeks' time, so it’s a big ask as there are clubs ringing me every day for our players. I think there are at least six or seven who could possibly go to National League South level.
“I hope they don’t, but I understand it. Let’s just enjoy this, as at the moment outside of football, if you live for football like I do, there is not much to get excited about.
“On a personal note I was really excited this week as Charlie, my son, and his girlfriend Holly had my first grandchild, a little boy. So this week has been absolutely fantastic and this result just tops that up.”
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