Herne Bay manager Simon Halsey says Saturday’s FA Vase clash with Shortwood United represents the best opportunity he, his players and the club will ever have to appear at Wembley.

Bay’s adventure continues with a trip to Gloucestershire to face the Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division promotion-chasers as they look to book their place in the two-legged semi-finals of the national competition.

Halsey said: "We’ve all got cup fever, that’s for sure. Once our last game was out of the way everyone has been thinking about this one.

"It’s a huge game and it’s important that everyone savours the week because it’s not often that opportunities like this come along."

Bay’s players and staff will set off for the west country at 5pm tomorrow (Friday) before staying overnight in a hotel.

Halsey said: "I insisted we went down the night before, we are so close to Wembley that we have to take this very seriously.

"You can’t have players getting up at 7am to go down there on a Saturday when their usual matchday routine might be to lay in until 11.30am."

Halsey said he was fully prepared to upset some of his players when he makes his team selection from a fully-fit squad.

He said: "They’re all coming down there, but obviously some of them are going to be disappointed. They will find out the team at 1.45pm, the same as every week. I’m not changing the routine."