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Ashford United boss Danny Lye ready to face Salisbury FC, managed by Steve Claridge, in the FA Vase quarter-finals

Danny Lye admits Ashford United will be underdogs when they face Salisbury in the FA Vase quarter-finals in Wiltshire on Saturday but says they have as much pedigree in their side as their opponents.

Steve Claridge is masterminding the Wessex League club’s revival after the former Conference side went under due to financial problems, in a bid to climb back up the leagues.

They have been installed as Vase favourites alongside another re-formed side, Hereford, but Lye believes United have plenty of experience to cause an upset.

Ashford United manager Danny Lye Picture: Rebecca Holliday
Ashford United manager Danny Lye Picture: Rebecca Holliday

Lye said: "Mickey Phillips played in the Football League, Shaun Welford, Paul Booth and I all played in the Conference and Pat Kingwell played in the FA Cup for Hythe at Hereford."

He wants his side to build on the success at Dunston in the last round, believing that at 2-0 down they were out of the competition.

Lye said: "We thought we wouldn’t come back from that, having literally thrown it away but won’t lose that feeling of winning and can have it again if we beat Salisbury."

Lye revealed he had banned talk of the Vase until after Tuesday night’s win against Rochester but knows Claridge, who watched the 6-1 win against Beckenham on Saturday, went away with plenty to think about.

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