Gainsborough Trinity chairman says play-offs and good FA Cup run are the aim

Chairman Richard Kane, who has completed almost five years at the helm of Gainsborough Trinity.

“They have been told that we should be aiming for the play-offs and to have a good FA Cup run,” said Kane.

“Last season was good. We did very well and finished just one point outside the promotion play-offs after having more points deducted than anyone else when North Ferriby went bust.

“This level (Northern Premier League, Premier Division) is good for us at the moment. We are more competitive at this level. But we do strive to get back into the Conference North.

“It would also be nice to reach the First Round proper of the FA Cup again. It’s not crucial, but it would help the playing budget.

“Money that we make would be pumped back into the team to help us kick on in the league.”

Kane was talking to Gainsborough Trinity TV on YouTube in an interview to mark the fifth anniversary of his tenure at Trinity which comes up in December.

During that time, more than a handful of managers have come and gone, and there have been many highs and lows.

Kane chose the FA Cup to recall how a chairman’s life can go from the heady heights to the desperate depths in a matter of weeks.

It was the 2017/18 season and he was driving down the A1 waving to all and sundry with a Holy Blues wig on his head after victory against moneybags Harrogate Town.

But just a fortnight later, in the First Round proper, he hit his “lowest of the low point” when Trinity were thrashed 6-0 by Slough Town.

“It was awful,” he said. “That was our biggest opportunity in the FA Cup. We put a lot of work in getting people to the game to support their local club, and they turned up in their numbers. But we just didn’t show.

“The FA Cup is a magical thing and this year, it is key, expecially with the prize money being better.

“The league looks strong, with five or six teams who could be in the mix, such as South Shields, Morpeth Town and Scarborough.

“But last year, nobody really mentioned Farsley Celtic so, hopefully, this season, we would be the surprise to team to do really well.”