Yeovil Town loan keeper Ollie Wright is looking to experience the magic of the FA Cup as the Glovers get their campaign underway at Chesham United this weekend.
The young Southampton stopper, who has kept three clean sheets in his last five matches, reached the fourth qualifying round stage whilst on loan at Bath City last season and is looking to go one better this year.
We assume that the 21-year-old’s appearance in front of the media on Thursday means he has been given permission by his parent club to play in the competition, thus making his cup tied for any future rounds.
He said: “I was on loan at Bath City in the FA Cup last season and we played Larkhall Athletic and went 2-0 down (!!), which was a crazy game which we ended up winning 3-2, and we got to (the fourth qualifying round) and then got knocked out by Worthing.
“I remember being gutted because we would obviously have been in the first round with the chance of playing a league team which would have been really big. The FA Cup is obviously something I watched as a kid and it is a big thing to be a part of and all I wanted to do (last season) was get to the first round which is hopefully something we can achieve this season.”
Chesham, who won the Southern League Premier Division South by nine points last season, sit 13th in the National League South table after ten games. They booked their place in the fourth qualifying round with a 4-0 home win over Bishop’s Cleeve in a replay on Tuesday night, but Wright is taking nothing for granted.
He said: “We have looked at some clips and they are a direct, physical team which probably means there will be lots of crosses which I have to come and claim which I think is a strength of mine. We just have to be on our game and not fooled by the fact they are in the league below us, they are a good opposition especially as we are away from home which will make that even harder. Home or away we just have to get the job done, but there are some poorer pitches at some grounds.
“I learnt last year how much it meant for a National League South side (Bath City) to get so far in the competition, so this year we need to see how far we can go and it would be brilliant if we could draw a League team.”
The Glovers go in to the tie, their 354th appearance in the game’s most famous cup competition, having picked up a 1-0 home win over Dagenham & Redbridge last weekend, breaking a run of five matches without a win.
Wright said: “Everyone said that was our best performance of the season, I think we played really good football especially in the first half, we expressed ourselves and to top it off with a clean sheet and Ciaran (McGuckin) with the goal it was an all-round good performance.
“In terms of players, you can tell the standard (of the National League Premier), the tempo is so much quicker and you cannot afford to make mistakes because goals will go in (at this level). It is a big jump but I feel I have settled in nicely, I just need to keep a steady 7/10 (don’t recognise that scoring regime, Ollie!).
“Dealing with mistakes is a big challenge, especially as a young goalie, when you have fans behind you who might give you some stick. It is all about being level headed and learning from mistakes. I am here on loan to learn and every game.”
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