Friends reunited! Melton Town boss Tom Manship ready to face former manager in FA Vase action

Tom Manship is looking to get the better of his former boss as Melton Town turn their attention to FA Vase action.

Town travel to face Shepshed Dynamo at the Dovecote Stadium on Saturday, in a contest which sees Manship's old Gresley manager Damian Beckford-Qualiey in the opposite dug-out.

And the Melton boss is hoping his side can come out on top as the two friends prepare for some friendly rivalry.

"It's a real tough draw. They're going to be one of the better teams in the competition," Manship said.

"You won't get tougher teams in the draw this year.

"Their manager's a really good friend of mine, I played under him and we had a couple of good years together.

"I've got a lot of respect for him. I talk to him out of football, we're good friends and it's going to be an interesting game."

Shepshed are currently among the pacesetters in the United Counties League Premier Division, where Manship's Division One side have designs on being next season.

"It's a great chance to test ourselves. That will tell us where we're at," Manship said, looking forward to the contest.

"We want to be at that level in a year's time. It's going to be a tough afternoon, I know Damian really well and his teams are always set up correctly.

"They play attacking football, they play entertaining football. We have to rise to the occasion."

Melton return to league action on Tuesday as they host Saffron Dynamo (KO 7.45pm).

Holwell Sports travel to Birstall United, who beat them 2-1 in the Vase last month, on Saturday (KO 3pm) and host Bourne Town on Tuesday (KO 7.30pm).

"What we do know about Birstall is that they work incredibly hard for each other and what they may feel they may potentially lack in quality - which is not a lot t all - they definitely make up for in working hard for each other," said manager Neil Miller.

"It would be nice if when we face Birstall again we turn up. We only really turned up around 75 minutes into that game.

"We know what Birstall are, I think its more a case of us turning up ourselves."