YOU can’t beat an FA Cup win under the lights as we had this week!

Well, you can I suppose. You could win the FA Cup outright on a sunny afternoon in May with no need for floodlights. But you know what I mean.

Yes, FA Cup fever has grabbed us all at Victory Road. Not for the first time in our club’s history of course, as was mentioned in this column last week. However, next Saturday, come on, Ipswich Town are playing on Sunday against Villa, let’s pack out the Watson & Hillhouse Stadium as Hornchurch come to town. A special FA Cup programme is also being printed!

Still on the FA Cup theme, I must tell you, I have a gripe!

Why have the mighty Blues not been selected for live BBC iPlayer and red button coverage next weekend? Yes, apparently Wythenshawe Town versus Farsley Celtic will be streamed on the BBC iPlayer and the red button next Saturday at 12.30pm in the third round qualifying. Both teams receiving a £2K fee from the FA into the bargain. And Leiston/Hornchurch has been overlooked.

It should have been us. We’d have done the Beeb proud with our young fans cheering and shouting throughout as they did on Tuesday night against Brentwood. And you won’t get a better cheeseburger and pint anywhere, that I can assure you Mr BBC people.

Anyhow, enough of next weekend. What about this weekend?

The first team are on their travels to Barwell (birthplace of goalkeeper, Chris Kirkland), then Bedford (birthplace of comedian Ronnie Barker) on Tuesday night. That means it’s all roads leading to Victory Road this Saturday afternoon as our excellent U23s (they play some brilliant football), are in Suffolk Senior Cup action against Old Newton, 3pm kick-off.

Remember last season and the U23s in that Portman Road final, where sadly they lost to Trimley Red Devils? What a run that was. How proud we all were of their efforts. Well, they’re on the march again this weekend. Go give them plenty of support.

GEORGE QUANTRELL INTERVIEW. Right place, right time…

And finally, on a more national non-league level, there seems to be a bit of ‘whiff’ brewing (not the fertilizer on the fields, Snape way), but over the new National League Cup competition announced this week.

The competition between 16 National League sides and 16 U21 Premier League 2 teams starts next month, although the ‘whiff’ I’m referring to is because four National League teams… Barnet, Eastleigh, Solihull and Southend, who were all invited to join the competition, have decided not to take up their places, Eastleigh putting out a rather scathing statement on X as to their reasons why they refuse to take part… I’ll let you do the homework to find out more… I’ve spent far too long finding out the birth places of famous people!

And anyhow, I’ve got an early night… Barwell away is always an early start. I’m taking the train of course, as per usual. If you’re not coming, get down to Victory Road and cheer the U23s on.

Speak next week.