ROLL on Saturday.

To say I’m ready and pumped for the FA Trophy tie at Hayes and Yeading would be an understatement, especially having sat out our other big game so far – the FA Cup clash against former Football League side Torquay United.

Being suspended that day just adds to my hunger and desire to shine at the weekend.

Cup runs are amazing to be part of - a welcome distraction from the league - and everyone at the club enjoyed our success in the FA Cup, culminating with that tie against the Gulls.

The Torquay day was really frustrating for me personally, though, and not just because of the result.

I was banned after picking up two of the harshest, most dubious yellow cards in our match at Folkestone Invicta.

Ironically, I scored twice in a 3-2 win, on September 29.

But you can only imagine how I felt when I got sent off right at the end and found out I’d have to miss the FA Cup game.

The first yellow was supposedly for retaliating after being fouled, which I absolutely didn’t do.

The second was apparently for kicking the ball away, which, again, I certainly didn’t do.

It was so frustrating being suspended against Torquay.

I thought we paid them too much respect and had them on the ropes for a spell in the second half.

Anyway, after missing out that day, you could say I’m champing at the bit to be involved on Saturday.

It’s a massive game for me personally, for the team and for the club.

These cup games mean so much in terms of prize money and profile and if you get through a few rounds, it can set you up for months.

That’s an enormous incentive for a small club like Brightlingsea.

It’ll be a tough game – any match in the third qualifying round would be – but I never look too deeply at the opposition.

For me, it’s all about us. If we turn up and play as we’re capable, we’ll win.

We’ve already beaten some of the top teams in our league and even though we ultimately lost 2-1, we can take a lot of confidence and encouragement from our match at league leaders Dorking Wanderers on Saturday.

After a poor start, we had them on the back foot and completely on the ropes – quite an achievement against a side pushing for the title and with a huge budget.

As I say, it’s about how we perform and who turns up on the day.

If we work hard and move the ball around as we know we can, I’m confident we can progress to the next round.

I’ve got a lot of belief in this squad and that’s why I’m not concerned about our league position.

Admittedly, we’ve struggled in terms of consistency, especially at home, but if we can fine-tune a few things and add another four or five per cent I’m sure more points will follow.

It’s so tight and a few extra goals and points would hoist us right up to mid-table.

I’m certain that will happen and, to be honest, relegation isn’t something I’ve even thought about.

We’ve got a strong enough squad and more than enough quality. If we start playing to our potential, we’ll be completely fine.

As you can probably tell, I’m enjoying it here and feel I’m thriving.

I’ve been a regular in the side, playing pretty much every minute of every game when available, and that’s obviously what you want as a footballer.

I just hope to stay injury free, so my run in the team continues.

The boys have been brilliant, welcoming me with open arms, and it’s a nice responsibility being one of the more senior players in the squad.

I’m only 22, nearly 23, but many of the boys are 18 to 21 or 22.

I like that and think it’s brilliant that the manager puts faith in the club’s talented youngsters.

I’ve been happy enough with my form but still feel I’ve got more to offer.

I’ve played well in a few key games but have gone off the boil in others.

A bit like the team, I need to strive for more consistency.

I love my footy. It’s a nice escape and very different from my day job.

Together with my best mate, we have our own drinks brand called Matcha Works.

We create a healthy alternative to traditional energy drinks, using a Japanese green tea called Matcha.

We've designed the brand to take on energy drinks without the crash, without sugar and without artificial ingredients.

It’s really fulfilling and we’ve been working on the brand and product for the past year.

We’ve got big plans for early next year and hopefully things continue to go well in all areas of my life – from my work to my football.