TIVIDALE boss Ian Long says his side is looking forward to the opportunity to defend their JW Hunt Cup crown.

Tivi booked their place in the final for the second successive season with a 3-1 win over Alvechurch at Castlecroft Stadium last Thursday.

Goals from Luke Paskin, Zac Foster and Karl Edwards secured the semi-final victory.

It means they will now face Stone Old Alleynians in the final due to be held at Molineux on Thursday, May 21 (7.30pm).

Long said: “We played really well against Alvechurch and punished them as they tired.

"It is great to be able to defend our title again. It would be my fourth piece of silverware in two years.

"It would be the perfect way to end another good season. It is a great occasion at Molineux and something we can really look forward to.

"Our experience of the final may help us a little as well.

"If it was to be my last game at the club, I want to end it on a high."

Long confirmed that Tividale officials have still not revealed his budget for next season.

It is a situation that could force the manager to walk away from The Beeches. Long said last week that he was frustrated that he couldn't plan ahead and said that he may be forced to resign if the club didn't match his ambition.

Meanwhile, football general manager Leon Murray claims that Tividale must find sponsorship ahead of next season.

Murray has been delighted with the progress of the club over the past 12 months, both on and off the field, but insists sponsorship has to be found if Tivi are to realistically mount a push for a play-off place next season.

He said “We’ve fallen short from that perspective for a long, long time, and it’s an issue we must address as we move forward.

“The Evo-Stik Northern Premier League is very demanding from a financial perspective, and there’s a massive gulf between Step 5 and Step 4 football.

“We’re working extremely hard. Steven Beech (Head of Communications) has been flat out trying to attract the right company to work with us as our principle sponsor but he’s yet to find the lucky break, and I know he’s been extremely frustrated of late as a result of that.

“But, we also need to ensure we find the right deal for both parties, and we won’t jump in at the first opportunity if it’s not right from a long-term perspective.”

Murray confirmed the club have been talking with interested parties, and are open to discussing a potential deal with any organisation that comes forward.

“We’re willing to speak with any interested organisation. “We’re playing catch-up from that point of view but I know we’ve the right people here to ensure we can get the right deal done.”