Southend United boss David Webb has urged his men to make a solid headstart against Brentford during tonight's (Tuesday's) LDV Vans Trophy southern area final first leg at Roots Hall.
Victory against the Second Division Bees is all that stands in Blues' way of making a high-profile trip to Cardiff's Millennium stadium in April.
However, the Shrimpers need to pull off an aggregate two-leg success over Brentford, with the return match at Griffin Park taking place next Tuesday, to finally make the first major final of their 95 year history.
"We're very close to getting to a big cup final - something which hasn't been achieved at this club before," said Webb, who was both manager and chief executive of Brentford during the mid 90s.
"But we have a lot of work to do against my old club and a good start against Brentford would be a huge boost tonight.
"It didn't bother me whether we were drawn at home or away first. But we are at Roots Hall first and we need to make home advantage count with our fans behind us, before travelling to Brentford next Tuesday."
Full match report and pictures in tomorrow's Evening Echo
Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article