CORSHAM Town manager Kieran Baggs admitted he loves watching his team prove people wrong after the Quarrymen reached the quarter-finals of the FA Vase by beating AFC Brixham on penalties at the weekend.
Corsham were a goal down on home soil after South West Peninsula League Premier Division East side, Brixham nudged in front midway through the first half via Scott Robinson’s close-range finish.
Baggs’ men equalised in the 59th minute when James Rusby volleyed in from the edge of the area.
After both sides had been reduced to 10 men, the Wiltshire side ended up clinching their place in the last eight courtesy of a 4-3 victory in the shoot-out.
Reflecting on Corsham’s furthest run in the national competition, Baggs said: “It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks.
“Obviously, we are a very low ranked side in the competition. I think we’ve been the bookies’ favourite to go out in every single round and the highest odds to win the competition from the start. So to keep proving people wrong is a nice feeling.
“I had a really, really good run in the Vase when I was Melksham manager, so to do it again with a completely different side – one that I’ve built from scratch over the past couple of years – is a really, really proud moment for myself.
“And it was a huge moment for the football club as well – probably one of the best days in the club’s history.”
Corsham’s reward for reaching the quarter-final stage is an away trip to Peacehaven and Telscombe on Saturday, March 11.
Baggs continued to insist that his side is the most David-like in a field of Goliaths, and refused to get carried away over where this competition could take Corsham – with a trip to Wembley Stadium now just two games away.
He said: “The togetherness, the team spirit, and the character this team has shown – combined with how much support we’ve had locally – has been absolutely fantastic.
“It’s been a really, really enjoyable couple of days since the win to soak it all up.
“To reach the quarter-finals, the last eight teams in the whole of the country in a national competition at our level, no matter what happens now it’s a huge, huge achievement for the football club.
“We can keep dreaming a little bit, but the size of the task to keep moving forward is still very large. But we’ll keep doing what we’ve been doing since the start and trying to prove people wrong.”
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