Hollands & Blair should at least get their FA Cup campaign off the ground this season.

Blair pulled out of last year’s extra preliminary round tie at Burgess Hill after the hosts announced positive Covid tests on the eve of the game.

The Medway side called for it to be rearranged but the FA said no and the Hillians went through.

Blair boss Simon Halsey was disappointed with Burgess Hill’s conduct at the time but it’s all about looking forward to this Saturday’s tie at home to Holmesdale.

He said: “Burgess Hill didn’t announce what was going on until after the FA had closed their doors on the Friday night, so we either had to fulfil the fixture or forfeit it.

“We had a committee meeting and one of the people in that meeting who was against travelling - Laurence Plummer - later died from Covid, which made us even more glad we respected everyone’s wishes at the time and didn’t go to Burgess Hill.

“That’s gone now, I don’t want to waste my breath talking about Burgess Hill.

“We can’t do anything about it now, we just want to look forward to this season’s FA Cup.”

Halsey is due a change of luck in the competition having suffered early exits all through his managerial career.

Home advantage should help this weekend against Holmesdale, who are new to the Southern Counties East Premier Division.

He said: “We’ve made our place a fortress over the last couple of seasons so I’m looking forward to getting back to the Gas.

“I don’t know why but the FA Cup is the worst competition I’ve ever had.

“All the other cups in Kent, and the FA Vase, I’ve done quite well in but not the FA Cup.

“It would be nice to get the monkey off my back. I’ve no idea why but it doesn’t happen for one reason or the other in the FA Cup.

“Maybe it’s because it’s early-season and we’ve not got going, I don’t know, but the winners play Ramsgate, which is my old club, so it would be nice to play them again.

“If we could get through a couple of rounds it would bring in much-needed revenue for a little club like us.

“That’s always the thing that disappoints me when we don’t progress, that we’ve not repaid the club for all the faith they’ve shown and all the work they put in behind the scenes.

“That’s what I try to emphasise to the players. No one at this level is going to get through too many rounds but it’s coffers in the pot to thank the club.”

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