WITH former Foresters David Malone as director of football and Ray Murphy as secretary, Winchester City inevitably have a strong ex-Bashley element in their camp.

But who would have guessed that Newcastle Town, the team who stand between City and a place in the last 16 of the FA Vase tomorrow, also have a one-time Bash boy on board?

The man in question is Mark Barlow, who was programme editor at Bashley Road before moving away from his job in Ladbroke's, New Milton, to work in Stoke-on-Trent.

A huge aficionado of non-league football, he has now pitched up at the Lyme Valley Park Stadium, home of Newcastle Town, who are currently on a run of 23 games without defeat in all competitions.

Ask press officer Barlow what dangers lurk for the Hampshire Premier Division leaders tomorrow and he'll point to Town's front two of Andy Bott and Paul Kiely - one of the most feared partnerships in the North West Counties League.

Kiely's name should ring a bell - particularly with Havant & Waterlooville's James Taylor. It was the former Stafford Rangers marksman who pipped Woolston-based Taylor to the 2001/2 Dr Martens Premier golden boot with 29 goals.

Kiely has only recently signed for Town, replacing the real star of the team, top scorer Mick Lennon, who is sidelined with a broken ankle.

After finding the net 48 times for Newcastle last season, Bott moved briefly to Stafford during the summer, but his Southern League stay was a short one.

Significantly, his first game back for his old club was 23 games ago - precisely when Town launched their long, unbeaten run.

After a poor start Newcastle have risen to sixth in their league and in the last round of the Vase they derailed FA Cup heroes Harrogate Railway 3-1.

They were Vase semi-finalists in 1999/2000 and still harbour unhappy memories of 11 years ago when they narrowly lost out to eventual winners Wimborne Town in a fifth-round replay.

Winchester have already performed a minor miracle by making the last 32 in their debut Vase season, but manager Neil Hards is convinced that with a little self-belief they can go further.

City have been beaten only once all season - by Bashley in the Hampshire Senior Cup - and Hards, who stepped up from assistant boss after John Robson's shock sacking two weeks ago, will remind his players not to let a dream chance slip away.

He said: "There's bags of ability and talent at this club and if we believe in ourselves, we can go a long way. I want the players to realise that opportunities like this don't come along very often."

It hasn't been cheap to transform Winchester from near oblivion to one of the most talked-about clubs in Hampshire, but money will not be the incentive for winning tomorrow.

Hards said: "There are no financial rewards on offer. Getting to the final at Upton Park is all the incentive we need.

"We're putting the club on the map too and it gets the players into the shop window."

For the first time this season, City travel to Staffordshire with the luxury of a full-strength squad. "Newcastle are a tough side but, if we give 100 per cent commitment, we'll give anyone a game," said Hards.