Corinthian boss Michael Golding insists his team are still the underdogs despite being handed home advantage in the FA Vase semi-finals.

The tie against Hebburn Town was due to be a two-legged affair in March but was put on hold due to coronavirus.

The FA have since decided to make both semi-finals a one-off match, and Corinthian came out of the bag first in Thursday’s draw so they get the honour of hosting the game at Gay Dawn Farm next Saturday – September 5.

“I’m very happy to be at home,” stated boss Golding. “It gives us a fighting chance. To be honest I wouldn’t have minded going away as we’ve already proven in the Vase, when we won at Sheppey and Chatham, that we can do well away.

“Hebburn are still massive favourites but it gives us a little boost. The fact it’s a one-off game changes things as well and I really hope it’s a good piece of skill or play that wins the tie rather than a mistake or a bad decision.

“The bookies have got Hebburn as favourites to win the competition so we’ll go into it as the underdogs and our little Corinthian tag. But we know that if we play to our potential, are organised on the day and get a little bit of luck then we’ve got a chance.”

The fact the 2019/20 FA Vase competition will still be running – the final is at Wembley on September 27 – when the 2020/21 version gets under way means there might need to be a change to the rules.

Can players who featured for other teams in the FA Vase now play for their new club? Will dispensation be given for summer signings to take part?

Golding doesn’t think that they need to worry too much, having kept the majority of his title-chasing squad together from last season.

“Retention is the biggest thing for us, it’s a big reason for our success,” said Golding.

“We’ve lost three players from the squad and have added three.

“Naturally, with the type of club we are, there was going to be interest from a number of clubs in our players.

“The potential that a Wembley final in the FA Vase could be 90 minutes away might have helped them stay but also the fact they feel a sense of injustice in the league after it was declared null and void last season.

“We were the best team in the league, for me, and I felt that we would have been promoted. It’s going to be tough this time around with the signings that clubs have made but we’ll give it a go.

“We’ve got three new players and we don’t know if they can play or not. The FA haven’t given guidance yet which is frustrating so all we can do is wait.

“Hebburn have kept most of their squad as well from the looks of it so I wouldn’t mind if they said it’s last year’s squads and we both go from there.”

Corinthian were on an eight-game winning run, which included an injury-time quarter-final victory over Leighton Town, when the season was shut down in March.

So did Golding hold on to the hope that his FA Vase dream would remain?

“In all honesty, I’d written it off. You always hoped but I thought it had gone.

“We were told about eight weeks ago that we’d get a date at the end of that week and then that didn’t come. Then the dates came out for this season’s competitions, and you wondered how they could start the FA Vase again without finishing last season’s – then we received the call.”

Pre-season has suddenly taken on extra significance. Both sides will have just one FA Cup tie as their competitive match before they meet next Saturday.

Golding added: “Both sides have had good pre-seasons, with good results against teams from higher levels.

“It’s frustrating that we’ve got the FA Vase a few days before because ideally you’d want a clear week.”

It does, however, present Corinthian with the opportunity to make a scouting trip. Northern League Hebburn host Hemsworth Miners Welfare on Tuesday.

“We’ve got people going to their FA Cup tie,” revealed Golding. “Unfortunately, they can’t buy a ticket online in advance but they’ll get there nice and early.

“Hopefully it pays dividends as it’s the biggest chance that we’ll get to see them. We’ll prepare properly as we have done all the way in the Vase. We owe that to the club, our supporters and the players.”

Current regulations mean the crowd will be limited to 300 – with Corinthian, as their name suggests, sportingly giving their visitors half of that allocation.

“We agreed to a 50/50 split with Hebburn which is only fair,” said Golding. “Of course it’s frustrating because we could have sold that out 10-times over.”

Update: Tickets for the match sold out on Sunday morning.

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