Knowle skipper George Seeley pleased with FA Cup progression but warns ‘we have to put our games to bed’ after self-inflicted Darlaston equaliser

George Seeley is pleased that Knowle have progressed to the FA Cup Preliminary Round - but feels they should have been more clinical with their chances to avoid allowing Darlaston Town a route back into the game.

Talib Copeland flicked Knowle ahead 19 minutes in after a scrappy opening which lacked goalmouth action.

But Darlo drew level against the run of play midway through the second half after Connor Mort, a full-back usually praised for his reliability, had played a square ball into the vicinity of not a single Knowle player.

David Agyekum pounced on the loose ball and drove forward before ultimately finding the bottom corner with fantastic composure.

Star striker Copeland scored his and Knowle’s second of the afternoon to restore the lead seven minutes from time, but Seeley was keen to stress that it wouldn’t have mattered so much had Knowle taken their chances earlier on.

He said: “We had more chances, but we didn’t put them to bed. We kind of gifted them a goal, a poor goal to concede, but we didn’t put our chances away in the first half and when we had them early in the second half - we can’t blame the defence for that. We need to keep putting the games to bed like we have been doing in the first few games of the season.”

However, Seeley was eager to add that any FA Cup progression is positive for Knowle and that prize money can only be a good thing for the club.

There are plenty of clubs at Step Five level with a greater budget than Knowle’s, so any money obtained from a cup run is a valuable pick-up.

Knowle skipper Seeley also made a nod to fellow interviewee and teammate Jack Duggan, who boasts impressive FA Cup pedigree and emphasised pre-match that the most important thing is to take each game as it comes.

“It’s good money to get in the club - Dugs will know that as well from his days of getting to the first round [proper],” he said.

“It’s good prize money to get in but, as Jack said in his pre-match preview, we’ve got to take it one game at a time - and being in the FA Cup as a club at our level, we’ve got nothing to lose at all.”

Now-experienced defender Duggan became a non-league legend in December 2016 when he slammed home a late winner against professional side Northampton Town to send seventh-tier Stourbridge into the Third Round proper for the first time in their history.

And he would have scored for Knowle with a thumping header late on but for a superb block from a Darlo defender that took even the man himself by surprise. 

“I must admit - I thought it was going in. I should have scored. It was a great ball in from George and I thought it was going in,” Duggan admitted. “It wasn’t meant to be, but the most important thing is we’ve got through to the next round no matter whether I scored or not.”

As Duggan rightfully said pre-match, it’s all about going one game at a time no matter the competition - and next up for Knowle is a trip to Stourport Swifts in the FA Vase.

Knowle were knocked out of the Vase at the first juncture by Nuneaton Town last season but they harbour ambitions of going much further this time around.

Seeley commented: “The Vase is one we want to go quite deep in. We had a tough draw last time against Nuneaton, but that’s one I think we can try and go far in this season.

“Stourport will be a tough test - we know that - but we’ve got to go there and upset the apple cart.”

Knowle visit Walshes Meadow, home of fellow Step Five side Stourport, for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday, August 15.