Please Sir, get a result! That's the message Galleywood teacher Ashley Vickers will take with him when he battles with First Division Norwich City in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Ashley, a defender with giant-killers Dagenham & Redbridge, is a PE and maths teacher at Thriftwood School, which caters for pupils with moderate learning difficulties.
A bus full of youngsters will travel to Carrow Road for the fourth round tie after last week watching Ashley's non-league team defeat Second Division Plymouth Argyle live on television.
Ashley Vickers will be cheered on by his class when he plays for Dagenham and Redbridge against Norwich in the FA Cup
Ashley, who lives in Tortoiseshell Way, Braintree, has a battling reputation on the pitch.
During his only Football League appearance, as a professional for Peterborough United, he was sent off.
"I have a lot of patience when I am a teacher, but I'm a different person when I'm playing football," he said.
Ashley is hopeful that the children will not be disappointed.
"They are a First Division club, but I think that we might get a draw," he said.
Published Friday, January 24, 2003
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