Declan McCarthy speaks to the voice of AFC Fylde ahead of their FA Cup clash with the Lions, who sit 66 places above them in the football pyramid.
Millwall get their FA Cup campaign underway this weekend. The visitors on Saturday, AFC Fylde, currently sit at the top of the Vanarama National North league table. They have made a fine start to the season – 10 wins, two draws and only two defeats have seen them rise to first-place.
I spoke to AFC Fylde’s very own stadium announcer, Brian Porter ahead of the FA Cup tie this Saturday.
Brian first got involved with the club in the 2007-08 season and has since gone on to become a well-known figure around the club and was ‘given’ the job as the stadium announcer. He is now approaching 250 games behind the microphone.
Q) Brian, AFC Fylde’s story is a fascinating one. Four promotions in nine years and you now currently find yourself at the top of the National North league table. What do you put behind the clubs recent success?
A) There is a constant drive to be better than we are. This drive in is every aspect of the club. On the pitch our manager, Dave Challinor, never stops seeking out ways of improving the playing side. It’s not just players he’s looking for, but also improvements to the training, development and even the playing surface.
With this inspiration it’s not difficult for all the volunteers and full-time staff to seek the same ambition. With a new stadium taking shape very quickly everybody wants to be a part of the next step and nobody wants to be left behind.
Q) The club haven’t always been called ‘AFC Fylde’ – what was the reasoning behind the name change?
A) The club for many years was a combination of Kirkham Town and Wesham. During the FA Vase winning season of 2007-08 (yes, we have history of winning in London) there was a feeling that the name AFC Fylde would be more attractive to a much wider area and support base. Year on year the crowds are going up so it seems to have worked!
Q) AFC Fylde manager Dave Challinor has been at the helm since 2011. How much credit does he deserve?
A) The man is a machine. He never stops working on making this football club better than it is already. ‘Chally’ takes a personal interest in every aspect of the football side. He’s always looking at players at every level of the club, from youth up to the first team.
I can sum up his work rate in a recent example…
He was at the first round draw at Throckley FC on the Monday evening. On hearing the draw he immediately made arrangements to be at The New Den the following night. After arriving home at 3am on the Wednesday morning he was at Blackpool and the Fylde College at 11 to drive the Academy team to Macclesfield for their game.
Q) What was your personal reaction when you found out AFC Fylde got a first Round draw with League One side Millwall?
A) GET IN! This is a wonderful opportunity for the players to put themselves in the shop window as they all aspire to play at a higher level. For the supporters we have an opportunity to see our lads on a big stage and the Chairman has, like last year, put on free coaches for the supporters who will be travelling down on Saturday.
Q) Who have been the clubs key players this season? Who should Millwall look out for?
A) EVERYONE! Let’s be honest; when you put the two team sheets side by side it’s a home win all day long.
However, the game is played on grass so anything can happen… We have good players in all areas of the pitch and our match day sponsors have an increasingly difficult job picking a man of the match.
Q) The hardest question now! Can AFC Fylde break Millwall and cause a cup upset? Prediction?
A) On paper it’s a Millwall win; but on grass anything can happen. The playing surface will certainly suit us. We like to get the ball down and play. If Millwall are as professional as I expect them to be then it’s a home win. We can live with that because we know our lads will give the game everything they have.
Can we win? We have a better chance than all those teams that haven’t made it to the first round proper.
We thank Brian for taking the time to speak to Rising East.