Monday, 8th September 2008

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- Andy Parker – Burton Mail

19th January 1993
Super spy Kenny Blair could emerge from retirement to help plot Gresley Rovers’ next step towards Wembley.

Moat boss Steve Dolby plans to contact Blair – the man who acted as scout for both Burton Albion and Rovers in FA Trophy and Vase campaigns that led all the way to the Twin Towers – after yesterday’s draw gives his team a home tie against Peacehaven and Telescome of the Unijet Sussex County League.

Dolby – whose team defeated Littlehampton Town of the same league in the 1991 semi final – admitted he knew nothing about his side’s fifth round adversaries – but plans to be fully appraised of their strengths and weaknesses by February 6th, when the game takes place.

And there would be no-one better qualified to run the rule over Saturday’s 4-1 conquerors of Sittingbourne Town than former Brewers manager Blair, a police forensic expert who quit football and moved to Devon to take a new job just before Rovers appeared in their historic FA Vase final against Guiseley.

Meanwhile, it was a delighted Dolby who learned that his team had been given a second consecutive home tie in this season’s competition.

“It’s a home draw and I’ll settle for that – but Peacehaven beat Sittingbourne, who I rated as one of the favourites, in the last round and they’re also top of their league so they can’t be a bad side,” he said.

“Its’ nice for the fans for us to have drawn a side we don’t know much about. But we will certainly have them watched having reached this stage of the competiton and Kenny could be just the man for the job.”

Dolby anticipated a tough test for his side when they entertain Redditch United in a Beazer Midland Division clash tonight (7.30pm).

Rovers knocked the West Midlands side off the top of the division when they won 2-0 there in September.

But Dolby said: “For half an hour they played what I consider to be the best football I’ve seen from an opposing team this season, I rate that win as one of the best performances of the season and, while they’ve changed their side a little since then, I’m anticipating a tough game.”

Dolby names the same 13 on duty in Saturday’s 3-0 Vase win over Bridgnorth Town.

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