IT was just like old times for Danny Robinson on Saturday driving down the A34 towards Alresford.
But this time the former Arlebury Park co-manager was plotting a Magpies’ defeat rather than a victory in the FA Cup preliminary round.
Now in his third season as Thatcham Town boss, Robinson returned to Berkshire victorious as the Kingfishers progressed courtesy of Shane Cooper-Clark and Joe Blount.
“It was a win-win for me against a club I spent a lot of time at,” said Robinson, who led Alresford to a treasure trove of silverware alongside Tim Cole.
“If Alresford had gone through, I wouldn’t have begrudged them, but Thatcham winning keeps my chairman happy!” he smiled.
“I’d only been back to Alresford twice before – once to watch a game and once with Winchester City in the North Hants Cup.
“It felt strange going in the away changing room and it was nice to see some familiar faces.
"But player-wise, it’s completely different there now. Simon Everett, Steve Hall and Dan Strange are still around and that’s pretty much it.
“On the balance of play, I thought we deserved the win, but Luffers (Alresford boss Richard Luffman) will probably say different. They hit the post and had one cleared off the line.
“But that’s five wins on the bounce for us and we’ve not conceded a goal.
“We were 11th in the Hellenic Premier when I took over and now we’re one of the favourites. We must be doing something right!”
*Nathan Walker (2), Billy Walker and Mark Ford scored in Hamworthy United's 4-1 win over Ascot.
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