We talk to Tonbridge Angel's manager after his side got into the first round of the FA Cup
Jay Saunders is looking forward to what the competition will bring for his young squad.
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00:00And Jay joins me now. So, Jay, it's one of only a few times that Tonbridge have
00:05gotten to the FA Cup first round proper and how does it feel to be a part of
00:08that? Yes, it's fantastic. I think for anyone who was at the game Saturday and saw
00:15the scenes and what it meant to the supporters and everyone associated with
00:18the club, it's obviously great that we've, as a management team, have been
00:22able to play our part in getting us there. So, yeah, it was a really good
00:25occasion and I was made well aware of the previous record in the FA Cup, so
00:30it's nice to finally get to that first round again. Brilliant. And how far would
00:36you like Tonbridge to go? Obviously, last year, Maidstone proved that that magic
00:40can happen. Yeah, look, you need that little bit of luck. You need
00:45things to go your way. I think, obviously, we'll see who we get in the draw today.
00:50Hopefully. I mean, there's people who have had their say in what they'd
00:54like. I think for us, or for me personally, I'd love a TV game. I think
00:59the revenue that brings and the publicity that brings and the sort of
01:02awareness to the club, as you saw, like you say, with Maidstone, what it can do for
01:05the club. So, from our point of view, I'd love that. But it just depends, really, on
01:10the draw. You can, I've had it previous times, we've had really good runs in
01:14it and other times where the draw just goes against you. So, we'll see who we
01:17get tonight. Obviously, the further we get, the better, I think, for all round, for
01:21everyone that works at the club, for the financial reasons, for the, as I say, the
01:25publicity for the future generations, if you like, of the club as well. It can
01:30have that sort of knock-on effect. So, we've just got our fingers crossed and
01:34we've done our part in getting through and hopefully the draw is kind to us.
01:37Now, speaking of the draw, who would be the ideal team to face and would you
01:43prefer it to be at home or away? I saw our chair, Sophie, say that she'd love
01:50Birmingham away. I'm kind of split on it. I think now you don't get the replays, I
01:56feel that a home draw against a good league club and maybe live on TV would
02:01be the ultimate draw. Other people have said the lowest-ranked team and
02:06try and get through another round, again, to earn more money. For me, I think
02:12someone like Agilina Michal and a local club at home on TV would be
02:16unbelievable. But, like I say, it's a tough one because I think some
02:23of the players would love to go to a big ground when you're here in the
02:25Birmingham's and clubs like that in this league that come into the draw.
02:28It's a great experience for the players. So, I'm kind of flipped. I
02:32think as a manager and as a management team, we're just kind of, it's hard for us
02:36because as much as we're excited about the draw, we're also concentrating and
02:39trying to plan for our league game on Saturday. I was going to ask you
02:43about that. So, how would you strike the balance, do you think,
02:48between league matches and the FA Cup now that that's happening?
02:53Like I say, it's hard because you get excited by the FA Cup and we're
02:59all really pleased to be in that first round. But, at the same time, we've got
03:02Worthing away on Saturday, which for us is a massive game, but a really great
03:05start to the season and we want to continue that. So, I think as a management
03:08team, it's up to us to make sure the boys are fully focused on that and we'll get
03:12the draw out of the way tonight and then we'll be, from tomorrow night, at training,
03:15we'll be concentrating on the Worthing game. So, it is difficult, especially when
03:20you saw the celebrations after the game Saturday and how much it means to people,
03:23but that's part of our job, I guess. Myself, Tom and Blackie, my assistants,
03:27will be fully focused on getting the boys back down to earth on Tuesday and
03:31cracking on with that league fixture.
03:34Absolutely, and at that match at
03:37Cray Wanderers, we just heard the, you could hear the excitement from the fans.
03:40What do you think it means to them to have you in this competition?
03:44Yeah, when I came to the club, everyone sort of spoke about it. I think I was told
03:48after the game Saturday, saying like 50 years, they've only been twice in the
03:51first round. So, I don't think the last time that happened, unfortunately, it was
03:55COVID. So, they played Bradford and it was behind closed doors. So, I think for us,
03:59there's been a lot of pressure for the last two years. And, like I say, with a
04:02little bit of luck, we've had loads of injuries and stuff the last two
04:05years and it always coincided with the FA Cup game. So, for us to finally get
04:09through, I mean, I had some lovely messages from supporters about how much it
04:13meant and how much it was like when they won play-offs. It was the same
04:17feeling and I think that says it all. So, as I say, we're just glad as a team
04:22and as a management team and a squad, we're happy that we've got there and
04:27seeing the players in with the supporters and the supporters singing
04:30all the way through the game. They were immense on Saturday. So, yeah, I feel like
04:35we played our part and hopefully, like I say, I think for the supporters
04:39especially, I really hope that we get get a good draw.
04:43And just finally, who should we be watching? You mentioned the squad. Who is your standout?
04:49It's a tricky one. We're a really young squad this year. Our average age is about 22, I think.
04:53So, we've got the experienced ones like you, Scott Wagstaff, that have played
04:56Football League and had good runs in the FA Cup. We've got Sean Shields, who's a
05:00really big, key player for us. But then we've got some really young, exciting
05:06players. I think you look defensively, the likes of Jamie Fielders, you're running Nelsons.
05:10You go into midfield, again, we've got the Jeremy Sandlers, there's people like this.
05:16It's hard to pick out an individual. I do really feel like it is a team effort this year.
05:21We've got a really good squad and when we leave people out, we're sort of not weakening the squad.
05:27But there's a lot of exciting young players there that I think that, again, I think that's why
05:31they like a cup run. It puts them in the shop window, unfortunately for us.
05:34But, no, there's a real good squad there and some really good players that I think will go on
05:40and have really good careers in the game.
05:42Brilliant. Thank you so much for joining us, Jay, and best of luck for the next round.
05:46No problem. Thank you very much.