Preview | Making something happen

City are back on the Isuzu FA Trophy trail on Saturday as we play host to Havant & Waterlooville in the first round proper (kick-off 3pm).

It’s a break from the battle for League points, which saw us forced to settle for a share of the spoils on Tuesday evening when opponents, Berkhamsted, levelled in stoppage time to make it 3-3.

There were plenty of talking points to emerge from the game, none more so than Dylan Jones’ wonder goal as he beat half of the opposition team before putting us back in front just moments after Berkhamsted equalised.

We asked him what was going through his head as he picked up the ball and headed towards the T-End.

“As soon as I picked up the ball, I just wanted to be positive and drive forward,” he told us. “I could see a bit of space open up, so I kept going and tried to make something happen.

“Once I got into range, I thought I would have a go and thankfully it came off! The strike felt good and seeing it hit the back of the net was a brilliant feeling.

“It’s always nice when your instinct takes over like that and it ends up with a positive result.

“It’s definitely one of the best goals I’ve scored. You don’t score goals like that too often, so it’s one I’ll definitely remember.

“Obviously it was disappointing that it didn’t prove to be the winner because overall I thought we played really well and deserved the three points.

“We showed good energy, created chances and stuck to our game plan. I think we can be proud of the performance, even if the result didn’t go our way.

“As a group, we always want to win and we set high standards for ourselves, so it’s frustrating, but we’ll take the positives and move forward together.

“It’s a break from the battle for points on Saturday and we’re looking forward to getting back onto the FA Trophy trail.

“It’s a great competition, and we’d love to go on a good run. It’s another opportunity to show what we can do and keep building momentum. We’ll approach it with the same attitude we always do — work hard, play together, and with the aim of winning.”

Jones’ form has been one of the many plus-points of the campaign so far. His solid and determined displays have served us extremely well.

“Personally, I’m happy with how things are going,” he added. “I feel confident and I’m enjoying my football, but as a team, we’ve shown real quality and togetherness, and we know what we’re capable of.

“We always go into games wanting to win — that’s our mindset — and if we keep that focus, I’m sure we’ll keep pushing for that top spot.

“The Premier South is really competitive this season. The standard of the league keeps improving year on year. Every team can cause problems, and you have to be at your best every week. There’s a lot of quality across the league, but that’s what makes it enjoyable — we want to test ourselves against the best and keep improving as a group.

“For now, though, our focus is on ensuring that we’re in the draw for the next round of the FA Trophy.”

As a thank you for the tremendous support that we have received so far this season, admission prices for Saturday’s game have been reduced.

They are: Adults £10 | Concessions/Students £5 | U16 FREE

A reminder that season tickets are NOT valid for this fixture and that all U16 tickets must be bought with an adult or concessions/student ticket.

You are able to purchase tickets in advance here...

It will also be possible to purchase on the day too. Come and show your support!