Whitchurch Alport boss Luke Goddard praises the 'gift that keeps on giving' after cup win

The Reds have had to win two away games in the extra preliminary rounds to go into the main qualifying round draw.

Alport have now played five FA Cup ties and every one of them have been away but this is the furthest the club has ever been in the competition.

Club officials were hoping for a home tie to reward their superb travelling Red Army, who once again outnumbered the home supporters at Saturday’s match versus Coleshill Town.

The Birmingham-based club play at Step Four in the pyramid but were systematically torn apart by a wonderful performance by Luke Goddard’s side.

The Alport boss he was still in ebullient mood 24 hours after the event, and he admitted he is loving the journey he is on with his beloved Reds.

“This club is the gift that keeps on giving and once again we’ve made a little bit of history,” said the Reds chief.

“We are getting a really good reputation now as a solid football club that commands respect and I think we have earned it. [Coleshill] obviously hadn’t done any homework on us but we knew exactly how they would play, exactly the formation they would use and where their strengths and weaknesses were.

"That is going to catch out a lot of teams this season – we will know a lot more about them than they will know about us.

"We have teams watched and although they put out on social media that Saturday’s tie was a potential banana skin, it was clear that they knew nothing about us at all.

"They do now.”

On a baking hot day at Park Meadow, Alport’s game management was first-class.

Once Alex Hughes had put them in front they never looked once like losing the lead and that was a message the Reds boss was keen to drill home.

He added: “We said to the boys at half-time that there was no need to go chasing lost causes and that conserving their energy was really important.

"We thought they might have bombarded us after the break but it never happened. Towards the end they were absolutely knackered and there we were – a small pub team from Shropshire – knocking the ball about with ease and to be honest giving them a good spanking in their own back yard.

"Their manager was stripping the paint off the walls at half-time but it clearly didn’t make any difference, and we have earned the right to compete in the first round qualifiers for the first time in our history.”

It’s at this stage in the competition that Step Three clubs enter the fray, and although Alport would favour a home tie against a Step Five or a Step Six outfit, Goddard feels that his side could compete even against one of the bigger sides.

He said: “I genuinely believe that we could take on any team home or away the way we are playing. Don’t forget you’re watching us a lot of the time in second gear so I can’t wait until we actually get going!

"Whoever we get drawn against it won’t make any difference, we will get a comprehensive report on our opponents and plan accordingly.

“When you try to attract a better type of player to come in and make us better, what you need to do is to make sure they are looked after and that we do things properly here.

"There is equipment that we wear during training and in matches, there are protein shakes and energy drinks taken on board. Once matches are all over, we then have a DVD where we can analyse data and compile the stats.

"It’s fantastic to be able to utilise staff who are specialists in their field and it’s completely unheard of for a club like ours. There must be plenty of envious glances coming our way from other clubs in Shropshire and much further afield.

"There’s no magic wand being waved here, we put square pegs in square holes and have a lot of amazing volunteers that make our club what it is today. So, everyone from supporters to players to staff – this journey we are on is for all those people. Without them we are nothing.”