Wealdstone boss Sam Cox believes that the 5-1 FA Cup win over Whitstable Town can serve as a platform for National League success in the coming weeks as Wealdstone confirmed their place in the first round proper of English football’s oldest cup competition.
Widely expected to overcome the step five minnows, the Stones raced into a five-goal lead before half-time as Micah Obiero and Olufela Olomola both grabbed a brace either side of Omar Mussa’s tidy finish.
Whitstable then responded shortly after the break with a consolation, but Cox felt his side gave the best account of themselves in the first 45 minutes.
“We set the boys the task to do it in a professional manner, to keep our standards high. I thought, especially in the first half, I think we were excellent,” the Stones boss told the club website after the 5-1 win.
“I think we created an awful lot of opportunities from the structure and running off the back. Two really good finishes from Micah Obiero, and it was great to see Fela on the scoresheet again with two neat finishes.
“Going into half-time 5-0 up, we were very pleased with the performance, the way we moved the ball with a tempo and a purpose, and everybody really on it - no complacency setting in.
“Second half, they frustrated us by dropping in, and we probably didn’t apply ourselves to the standard that we would have asked for, and they frustrated us quite a bit, to be honest, but credit to them.”
Having featured in all but one of the Stones’ 15 domestic fixtures this season, Obiero struck twice early on to set Cox’s side on their way to a comfortable victory.
And the Wealdstone manager praised the timing of Obiero’s contribution with a brace inside 22 first-half minutes.
He said: “On paper, a step one side against a step five side, everybody’s expecting us to win the game of football. I think the experience of this competition – and everybody knows that there’s no guarantees – and the FA Cup, which provides so many upsets, at times, favours the underdog. There always was that thought.
“But you get two early goals in the first half, which settles everybody’s nerves. The crowd was behind us once again, and we were able to play our style and the way we were asking them to. I thought they did that really well, so credit to the lads.”
Anthony Georgiou hobbled off early in the first half with a suspected Achilles injury, and Cox confirmed that the midfielder had been suffering with an issue prior to the match.
“He’s just got a little problem with this Achilles at the moment. It’s something we have to manage, but I thought, rather than risk him going forward, we’ve got a big set of fixtures coming up,” said Cox.
“We thought it was best to make that decision to get him off early and get the treatment needed for him and hopefully nurse him back to fitness as soon as possible.”
Wealdstone will now face fellow National League counterparts Southend United in the FA Cup first round proper on Saturday, November 1 (3pm).
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