FA Vase Preview: Gornal rise a "whirlwind" to Williams (From Halesowen News)

FA Vase Preview: Gornal rise a "whirlwind" to Williams

2:30pm Thursday 28th February 2013 in Local Sport

CHIEF executive Kevin Williams admits the speed of Gornal’s rise has surprised everyone at the club.

Williams has seen it all after more than two decades at the Garden Walk, having first joined as youth team secretary in 1991.

But even he has been taken aback by the success of the past two-and-a-half years, which has seen the club win the West Midlands Premier League and become established as a force in the Midland Alliance.

Williams said: “It’s been like a whirlwind, we just seem to go from strength to strength.

“When Ian came on board as manager we had a five year plan to reach the Southern League.

“So far he has exceeded all hopes and expectations and it’s put more pressure on the rest of us to get the ground and the club up to standard.”

Club officials are confident the Garden Walk will achieve the F grading needed for the club to remain in the Alliance, though more work is then required to make the E grading which would allow promotion to the Southern League, should they manage it on the pitch.

Victory on Saturday would bring another £3,500 in prize money and this season’s Vase run has already swelled the club coffers by almost £10,000.

But as Williams revealed, this cash is only enough for the club to break even.

He said: “Most years we make an operating loss as do most clubs at this level, though this year we are hoping to make a bit of a profit.

“With the economy the way it is sponsorship has been almost non-existent and it’s a struggle for all clubs.

“But we are ambitious, the success in the Vase has raised our profile a bit.

“You overhear people talking about us in the cafes and we’re taking a coachload of fans up to the game.

“We want to make sure when we do take the next step the club is ready to follow.”