Shane Baptiste: Passion and resilience driving Woodford’s FA Cup dream

Shane Baptiste has led Woodford Town to their best-ever FA Cup run

The clock ticks over the 107^th minute at Ashton’s Playing Fields.

Over 200 spectators, including a noisy bunch of home fans, watch on as Woodford Town and Bury Town, two leagues above their hosts, are still deadlocked in their FA Cup Second Qualifying Round replay.

Woodford have already knocked out Colney Heath, Harlow Town and Newmarket Town to set up the tie with Bury, and nearly 200 minutes of football has been played in the tie with nothing to separate them after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.

That is until striker Marko Protic picks up a pass inside the penalty area and side-foots a low shot beyond Charlie Beckwith in the Bury goal to send their supporters into raptures and book The Woods’ place in the Third Qualifying Round for the first time in their history.

It is a testament to the work that Shane Baptiste and his staff have done at Woodford that the team were a mid-table side, at best, when he took over in 2021, but are now sitting at the top of the Essex Senior League table and are on their best-ever FA Cup run.

Boss Baptiste, well-known in local non-league circles for his passion and commitment, has worked his way up in management, from managing reserves teams and in the Essex Alliance League with Chingford Athletic to becoming the manager of a side who are only two wins away from a potential tie with an EFL side, and four wins away from a Premier League tie.

Speaking on the Back Post Show in the week leading up to their FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round tie against St Albans City, Baptiste demonstrates pride in his side for progressing to a stage no Woodford Town team has ever gone before, and speaks about the game plan from the replay, which his players executed perfectly.

“The replay had such an amazing atmosphere”, Baptiste smiles. “Our fans were truly the 12^th man, they are always nice and loud and being at a football club with so much passionate support, for all 120 minutes in the game, is amazing.”

“I told the boys to just focus on themselves, which I don’t often do, and it was important for us to be reactive, rather than proactive. Building up to the game was a little different in the sense that I don’t have any contacts in Bury’s league to advise us on their play style!

“But we soon learned what they were all about which helped us in the replay.”

Despite the fact that Baptiste’s Woods side have finished the last two seasons with defeats in the Essex Senior League playoffs, they are currently sitting top of the league, having dropped just three points all year, and a large group of players have been working with Baptiste at Ashton’s for several years, including the likes of Luke Steele, Dimi Christou, Mike and Manny Agboola, James Jewers, Kahlil Kirwan-Meade and Wednesday’s hero Protic.

Having a core of players that a manager can rely on every week is important to Baptiste.

“I am someone who has experience in promotion challenges, and something I value is the relationships I have with my players”, Baptiste explains.

“I used to look at stats in the Essex Senior League for clubs that were challenging for promotion, and the clubs that were getting settled squads had players play 35 or more games per season, which I try now as players become accustomed to these levels as they increase. However, if you bring in too many new players, it might take time for those relationships to build.

“Mentality is a big thing as well. The disappointments that we’ve had, narrowly missing out two seasons in a row, brings an element of resilience and refocusing and the willingness to go again even if you’ve had a major setback.”

One of only three teams left in the FA Cup from level 9 in the English football pyramid, Woodford Town continue their fairytale run at home to St Albans City on Saturday, an occasion that Baptiste is relishing.

“The FA Cup is one of the best cup competitions in the world”, Baptiste exclaims. “So just to be managing in this competition, regardless of how far we’ve made it, is a massive thing for me.

“The St Albans game is going to be a big game especially as we’re the underdogs playing a massive club for Step 3. But also our chairman Tony Scott’s son (Ryley) plays for St Albans, so that’s going to be a fantastic occasion for his family!

"But for us, we're just going to approach it like any other game and prepare the best we can. Yes we're going to do our due diligence and respect our opponents, but all I can say to the players, and everyone else involved at the club, as long as we give 100% on the day and do the best we can, we are winners regardless of the result."