Poppies FA Cup clashes whet the ambitious Doughboys' appetite for more

Boss Jake Stone is targeting promotion with his Wellingborough Town team this season so they can experience more matches like their brilliant FA Cup double header with county rivals Kettering Town.

The Doughboys impressed everybody as they held their higher level opposition to a 2-2 draw at a packed Dog & Duck last Saturday.

And they then felt a little hard done by to lose the replay 2-1 in front of a crowd of more than 1,100 at Latimer Park on Tuesday night.

Both matches were high quality, with the Doughboys more than matching Step 3 Poppies, and the target for Stone and his players now has to be to competing at that level week in, week out.

The Doughboys have started their Pitching-In Northern Premier League Midlands Division campaign in sensational style, winning five out of five to sit top of the table.

And although Stone knows there is a long, long way to go, the ambition next spring has to be promotion.

"The plan is to try and win as many games as possible," said the Doughboys boss after the replay loss to the Poppies.

"We want to do well, and the club is in a position now, with a team like it has, that we can push on to heights like this, as we have shown.

"So this has to be our aim.

"Whether it happens or not I don't know, but this has to be our aim, because I want more days like this.

"I know the lads want more days where there is 1,000 people at the Dog & Duck, and away games where there are 1,000 people there.

"That's what we all do football for, to be successful, and we just want more days like this."

Looking back on the defeat at Latimer Park, Stone also felt his team proved against Kettering that they are more than ready to step up and play at a higher level.

"The word pride has been said a lot leading up to this," said the Borough boss.

"But we were so capable of winning the game that the pride aspect of it seems a bit fake and plastic.

"That's because I am disappointed we didn't win, and we could have done in both games.

"People say they are really proud when it probably just a step too far for them, but this wasn't a step too far for this team.

"We were good enough to win both games, but we just have to take the quality that we have had in these games into the league.

"But that said, we have only played five league games so you can't get carried away."

The Doughboys return to league action next Tuesday when they go to Nuneaton Town, but before that they have an FA Trophy second qualifying round tie at Nantwich on Saturday (ko 3om).

Quotes courtesy of Peter Short