Hythe Town manager Steve Watt says they can’t be content with reaching the last 32 of the FA Trophy
Published: 05:00, 10 January 2024
Steve Watt has urged Hythe players to keep wanting more as they fight for a place in the last 16 of the FA Trophy.
The Cannons had never gone beyond the first round of the competition before this season’s exploits.
But they find themselves in round four after upset wins over Concord, Tonbridge and Whitehawk along the way.
They face a big challenge against National League North side Chorley at Reachfields on Saturday (3pm).
The Lancashire club are fourth in their division and fighting for a place in the top flight of the non-league game.
Cannons boss Watt has been able to study footage of their opponents thanks to help from Chesterfield No.2 and former Dover team-mate Danny Webb.
He knows the visitors are favourites, given the two-division gap between the sides, but last season’s Isthmian South East play-off finalists have genuine hope and shouldn’t just be content to have got this far.
Watt said: “A Step 4 club getting to the last 32 of this competition is a massive achievement, it really is.
“But we can’t be happy with what we’ve done because it’s not as if we’ve got Chesterfield away or one of the massive clubs.
“I mean no disrespect to Chorley because I know how tough this tie will be, but we fancy our chances against anyone at home, no matter who it is or what league it is.
“We’ve already proven we can beat a Step 2 side at home, in Tonbridge, so we should go into the game full of confidence.
“We’ve got to appreciate how far we’ve got yet not accept and just be happy with that. I want more.
“I was always taught that as a player - want more, never be satisfied. That’s the way you can be successful.
“You talk about top-level players and how they continue to be successful. It’s because they’re never satisfied with what they’ve done in their career.
“That’s what you've got to be like at non-league.
“You can’t go, ‘Oh, I got to the play-off final last year, that’s me happy’.
“Well, no, it’s not because we failed, we didn’t get promoted. It’s the same with the FA Trophy.
“We can’t be happy getting to the last 32, you want to get to the last 16, so we’ve got to be hungry and keep pushing.
“It’s about creating more history.
“To leave a legacy, to leave a story or a lasting impression at a club, you’ve got to do more than one thing, not just one promotion or one play-off final and that’s it.
“You’ve got to keep pushing to get more to leave our little mark on Hythe’s history.”
It should be a fair old battle at Reachfields between two sides who can handle themselves physically.
Hythe are never easy to play against while Chorley appear to have all the qualities associated with northern sides.
Watt said: “They seem a good, organised, physical side, good from set-pieces, exciting on the counter and they don’t concede many goals, so it’s going to be a tough game.
“That’s what I’ve seen but we’re a physical side ourselves so I think it’s going to be a good battle, a full-blooded affair.
“We’ve got to do what we normally do and, fingers crossed, we come on the right end of it.
“The last game you can compare this to is Tonbridge because they play at the same level but I think it’s going to be a different type of game.
“Tonbridge are a very good side but are more possession-based so this will be a different challenge.
“I’m not saying Chorley are direct but they’re built to do that if they have to.”
Yesterday, Hythe chairman Gary Johnson called on supporters to turn out in force as the club face making a loss on the tie.
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Craig Tucker