Gornal out to avoid Vase shock (From Halesowen News)

Gornal out to avoid Vase shock

1:00pm Thursday 11th October 2012 in Football

IAN Rowe says Gornal Athletic will have to cope with the favourites tag when they face Lye Town in the FA Vase this Saturday.

The Peacocks travel to Stourbridge Road for a first round clash and the chance to reacquaint themselves with their old West Midlands Premier Division rivals.

After their pulling off their own heroics in the FA Cup by beating Northern League Sutton Coldfield Town, Rowe says his players must now adapt to becoming the hunted rather than the hunters.

He said: “Lye are flying in the West Midlands Premier and it’s going to be tough.

“It’s very rare for us to go into a game as the favourites but we must get on with it and make sure we do the right things.

“I’ve had Lye watched a couple of times and they are not a bad side at all.

“I like the ground, I always enjoyed myself there as a player and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Gornal go into the game relatively injury free with Rowe set to welcome back midfielders Michael Perks and Gurdip Wilkhoo.

Jake Morgan is also in contention.

Meanwhile, Rowe has escaped any punishment after the extraordinary incident when he was ordered to leave the ground during Gornal’s Midland Alliance fixture at Boldmere St Michaels back in August.

Referee Paul Hands told Rowe to get out of the ground or he would abandon the game and the Peacocks boss was hit by an improper conduct charge by the FA.

But following an appeal, the charge has now been dropped.

Rowe said: “I’m happy because I always said I had done nothing wrong.

“But at the same time I’m upset because I would like to know why the referee asked me to leave the ground in the first place.

“People have seen the story in the paper and it put me in a bad light.”

Meanwhile, Tividale don’t enter the Vase until the second round but will be looking for league points at Studley this Saturday, after another Jekyll and Hyde performance in a 4-3 defeat at Heath Hayes last weekend.

Dean Whitehouse’s side lead three times in Staffordshire but were pegged back each time before the hosts snatched a late winner.