Tiptree United captain Ian Fish's dream of leading his side out at Villa Park in the final of the FA Carlsberg Vase is agonisingly close.

Only Sudbury stand in the way and the Suffolk side will have to overturn a 2-0 deficit in the semi-final second leg at Chapel Road this Saturday to prevent it happening.

And there could even be a double celebration in the Fish household near to the May 11 final.

Tiptree heading out to face Sudbury on Saturday

If Tiptree win through, it throws up a new problem for Fish as his wife, Louise, is due to give birth around that time.

"I do get a bit worried when she comes to watch us play," Fish admits. "But she has only missed the Pickering game.

"She has got a bit of a way to go, although the baby is due around the time of the final."

But Fish, 30, is to make sure his team-mates guard against complacency, well aware of the potential firepower of Sudbury.

They are a team that have scored over 100 goals in the Jewson League this season, and who have put nine past the Jam-makers in four games, although they did draw a blank in Saturday's crucial first leg victory.

Fish said: "We will be pulling all the stops out come Saturday. I still believe, even though we are 2-0 up from the first game, that we are the underdogs."

"We have got the lead and we don't want to chuck it away."

Manager Neil Farlie made Fish his captain when he took over the managerial hot-seat from Steve Parnell in October 2000.

Published Tuesday, March 26, 2002