BROCKENHURST have been labelled as the favourites ahead of their FA Vase tie with Littlehampton, with the Sussex side refusing to be "written off".

Despite being knocked out convincingly in the last round 5-0 by Athletic Newham, the Southern Combination Premier leaders were reinstated after Newham were charged for fielding an ineligible player.

After some confusion and delays from the FA due to Newham's appeal, Brockenhurst will travel across the south coast to compete for a spot in the quarter finals of the Vase.

Littlehampton are certainly no mugs, with the side currently the top goalscorers nation-wide at Step 5.

They also sit seven points clear at the top of their own division, with their joint manager Michael Hand telling local paper the Sussex Express: “As for the Vase, Brockenhurst are a very good side and will go into the game as favourites – and rightly so with the players we’re missing.

“But we certainly won’t be feeling sorry for ourselves.

“The feeling for me is that we’ve been written off already which is a dangerous thing to do to this group of players.

"I’ve even heard the game be described as a free hit, we have a home draw in the last 16 of an FA competition and we will be leaving everything we’ve got out on the pitch."

Benn has grabbed 55 goals in 35 games for Littlehampton this campaign, with the entire team notching 154 goals in just 42 games.

However, it appears that the Sussex outfit will be without their top goalscorer - and a host of other players suspended.

Hand previously told the Sussex Express: “It’s frustrating that we will be missing Tom Biggs, Ryan Peake and George Gaskin through suspension, and we’ve had a setback with Joe Benn as well.”

Despite reports that Benn will be absent for the fixture, Brockenhurst boss Pat McManus told the Daily Echo that his side were accounting for the possibility of having to deal with the prolific marksman.

McManus stated: "Joe Benn, he actually dislocated his shoulder in the Newham game in the first half, and he left the game in an ambulance.

"So he hasn't played since. But even if they strap him up and roll them out against us, players of that caliber, they're always going to be a massive threat anyway.

"We'll prepare for him to be playing in this game, to be his first game back, and then we'll see what happens.

"But nationally, in step five, they're the top goal scorers, but we're six in the top ten clubs at step five level for goals scored.

"It should be as much as we'll need to be prepared for them, they also need to be prepared for us from a goal scoring point of view as well."

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