Press and media officer John Edwards submitted the following article for inclusion in this week's Messenger newspaper. Picture by Jonathan Moore.

Phil Parkinson has urged Altrincham fans to turn out in numbers and roar the Robins on as they bid to land a trophy at the second attempt at The J.Davidson Stadium on Thursday evening.

The Isuzu FA Trophy ended in heartbreak for Alty, with a penalty shoot-out defeat to FC Halifax Town in the semi-final, but the Cheshire Senior Cup could provide a silver lining for Parkinson's side as they take on Congleton Town in the final.

And the Robins boss feels home advantage could prove vital if Alty fans rally round and fill the ground with noise as they have all season.

[Cheshire Senior Cup Final - Tickets]

'We have gone as strong as we can in this competition for a purpose, to give us a chance of silverware,' he said after Alty rescued a point with a 90th-minute penalty by Zak Goodson (pictured) in a 2-2 draw with Torquay United. 'We haven't been this far in the Cheshire Senior Cup for a decade, and I know our fans want to see us winning things, which is why I've been banging the drum about the importance of this competition to the players.

'When we have our pre-season photo taken, I want to see a trophy standing in front of the team. If there isn't one, I'll be asking massive questions of the players.
'What has our history been built on? Giantkilling, and Congleton will see us as a big scalp, so we've got to be ready for that. But I'm hoping fans turn out in numbers, and if they do, I'll know how seriously we're all taking it.'

Admission is £12 adults and concessions and £6 under-18s for Thursday's final, kicking-off at 7.45pm, and there will be a cash turnstile on the night.

Alty's beer festival starts at the ground on Friday at 4pm, with plenty of attractions for children as well as adults, continuing on Saturday at 11am and culminating in Jake Moult's testimonial on Sunday (kick-off 1pm), a fitting tribute to the long-serving former Alty skipper. Admission to the testimonial is £10 adults, £5 under-18s and tickets can be bought here.